Water efficiency

Our commitment: Work to achieve water efficiency and treat the water we discharge effectively

Nestlé is committed to improving its water footprint. Through our constant efforts, over the last 15 years, we have achieved a 53% reduction in water consumption per tonne of production. We use advanced technology to improve our capacity to produce more from fewer resources, as well as reduce waste generation. In 2016, we strengthened our Nestlé Environmental Requirements (NER), to include new water effluent parameters.

We ensure that our manufacturing operations do not negatively impact the availability of water resources among the local communities. We conduct Water Resource Reviews (WRR) in plant operations periodically to determine our operational utilisation of water, understand risks and opportunities, and develop action plans for sustainable water use. The WRR process fully incorporates Nestlé Guidelines on Respecting the Human Right to Water and Sanitation. In India, WRRs have been conducted for our manufacturing units in Moga, Nanjangud and Samalkha.

In 2016, we initiated 28 water reduction projects across our factories, which are likely to generate savings of 65,841m3 to be fully realised in the coming year. Some of the key process changes contributing to water savings are:

• Improvement in the recovery of drinking water in the Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant in Nanjangud
• Optimisation of the seal water consumption in process and usage in cooling towers in Samalkha
• Use of Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) Reverse Osmosis permeate in utility cooling towers in Samalkha
• Condensate recovery improvement in Ponda
• We have planned steps and process changes for the coming year to continue improving our water savings.
• Recycling and reuse of evaporator condensate after passing through Reverse Osmosis plant in Samalkha
• Improvement of the recovery of drinking water Reverse Osmosis plant in Tahliwal
• Increase the use of treated water from ETP RO at Moga

In addition to these, we have undertaken technological improvements in the Nanjangud plant, which are likely to result in an annual savings of 49,070m3 from Q4 2017.

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