Scottish businesses are literally pouring their profits down the drain by wasting water worth the financial equivalent of 31 bottles of champagne per hour1.
That’s the stark fact from sustainable business experts Envirowise as it launches national Water at Work Week (17 – 21 September) to encourage businesses to look at reducing their water consumption.
Envirowise is urging Scottish companies to take action on water usage and claim their share of the £7m2 which it estimates businesses could save annually through simple water efficiency measures. These include installing push-button taps in staff washrooms, reducing the need for mains water by recycling ‘grey water’ for cleaning equipment, vehicles and outside areas, and by monitoring water use to help identify and repair leaks using sprays – this could reduce bills by up to 30%.
Alan Hendry, Envirowise business manager for Scotland, says: “Unlike electricity and gas, many businesses don’t view water as a paid for utility and really underestimate its value. In fact, recent research has revealed that 55 percent of Scottish businesses have seen evidence of water being wasted in the workplace resulting in profits literally being thrown down the drain3.
“Scottish office workers use as much as 35 litres of water every day, 86% of which is a direct result of flushing toilets. However, minimising water use is one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to reduce costs and simple measures can save as much as 50% on bills. Installing water hippos into toilet cisterns is a great way to reduce water usage, saving on average 3 litres of water with every flush.”
While an alarming 73% of office workers in Scotland believe their employer does nothing to help reduce the company’s environmental impact4, Envirowise continues to work with a number of Scottish businesses keen to implement simple resource efficiency measures resulting in significant financial gain.
Since 2002, Fairmont St Andrews has worked with Envirowise to develop an award winning resource efficiency strategy and has benefited from cost savings of over £209,000 to date. Over £42,000 of this was achieved through improved water management alone.
Jonathan Titterton, director of facilities at Fairmont St Andrews explains: “By applying a systematic approach in altering our environmental behaviour and by implementing a series of simple measures we have cut our costs and improved the hotel’s resource efficiency.
“Minimising our water usage has been achieved through a number of straight forward and inexpensive measures - from placing more economical kettles in guest rooms to carrying out a number of training and awareness programmes for staff and guests. Our continuing work with Envirowise will identify further opportunities to improve upon resource efficiency and we foresee potential estimated savings totalling over £310,000.”
Similarly, Kilmarnock-based Mahle Engine Systems UK Ltd worked alongside Envirowise receiving a fast track visit from a specialist advisor who highlighted opportunities for the company to reduce water use and minimise waste.
Kevin Kennedy of Mahle Engine Systems comments: “Following Envirowise’s resource investigation a water leak was identified, responsible for wasting over a third of the total amount of water entering the site. As well as fixing the mains leak, we implemented additional water savings solutions and have identified further opportunities since then.”
He adds: “With our current improvements in place, we have achieved an impressive 30% reduction on our water bills and are planning to reduce that even further by including grey water harvesting into our actions with rain water collection and recycling.”
Further information on how to reduce water consumption can be found at www.envirowise.gov.uk/scotland or by calling the free and confidential Envirowise Advice Line on 0800 585 794.
Issued on behalf of Envirowise by Trimedia Harrison Cowley. For further press information please contact Laura McKenzie or Jonathan Murray on 0131 226 2363 or email laura.mckenzie@trimediahc.com or jonathan.murray@trimediahc.com
Notes to Editors
1 Based on Ofwat average calculation for water purchase and disposal (0.13 pence per litre) and average cost of £25 for a bottle of champagne such as Moet & Chandon, Lanson Black Label or Bollinger from a leading supermarket.
2Envirowise statistics show that 17.5 million cubic metres of water are being used by UK businesses every year, a figure that it says could be reduced by 30% through simple water efficiency measures, representing a saving of £7,000,000.
3 Envirowise resource efficiency research conducted by TickBox.net in August 2007.
4 Envirowise resource efficiency research conducted by TickBox.net in August 2007.
About Envirowise
Envirowise is a Government-funded programme dedicated to putting the sustainable use of resources at the heart of UK business practice.
Since 1994 Envirowise has helped UK businesses save over £1Bn by enabling them to significantly reduce their environmental footprints.
Envirowise offers businesses of all sizes and sectors a wide range of free, independent and practical advice designed to genuinely improve their processes, profitability and competitiveness. Services include:
- The Environment and Energy Advice Line on 0800 585794
- An encyclopaedic website (www.envirowise.gov.uk/scotland) of valuable and relevant information
- On-site visits conducted by a nationwide team of expert advisors*
- Over 200 events each year, from Product Design Workshops to major exhibitions
* Please note that different services are available in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales – please contact our Advice Line on 0800 585 794 for more information on whether you are eligible for a site visit.