Coca-Cola Company to Improve Water Efficiency by 20%

Water is the main raw material for The Coca-Cola Company. Its availability, quality, cost and efficient use are decisive factors for the world’s largest beverage producer. Therefore, saving water is one of the main principles of Coca-Cola’s philosophy.  
 
As part of the wider “Water Efficiency Project” Coca-Cola and denkstatt are now tracking possibilities to reduce water consumption and optimize water usage in bottling plants with the “Water Saver” tool. This benchmarking tool was developed by Coca-Cola in cooperation with its bottling partners and WWF.  
 
At present, the Coca-Cola’s system uses worldwide 2.48 litres of water per litre of beverage produced (as for every litre of beverage produced, additional water is required for quality, hygiene and cleaning processes), which is a significant saving of over 20% since 2002. The Water Efficiency Project with denkstatt will contribute to a further 20% efficiency improvement by the year 2012, compared to 2004 levels.
 
“There is water saving potential in almost every bottling plant”, says denkstatt consultant Fátima Bertrán de Lis. “Water can be saved in bottle washers, cooling or water treatment systems.” denkstatt has provided each of the participants (meanwhile 26 plants in 11 countries) with an ultrasonic measuring device to measure water flow in several relevant processes. During the measuring period the contact persons of the bottling plants are supported by denkstatt’s consultants, who collect and evaluate the data. These are finally fed into the “Water Saver” tool in which saving potentials in the plant are revealed.
 
“The possibilities to save water in bottling plants are in fact very diverse”, explains Hans Wilfling, Environmental Manager of The Coca-Cola Europe Group. “For example, water that has been used to rinse the bottles can be used again for the conveyor lubrication or the general cleaning of the plant. It can also be partly redirected to the water treatment process. Also, technological improvements in bottle washers can reduce the water consumption considerably”.
                                                 
“Improving water efficiency by 20 per cent in a system like Coca-Cola has a huge impact on the environment. Resources are preserved and the company itself becomes a role model for others”, emphasises denkstatt-Consultant Fátima Bertrán de Lis. The extension of the project to other bottling plants is already planned.