Our manufacturing performance

Water use in manufacturing

Since 1995, we have reduced the quantity of water per tonne of production by 65%, (equivalent to a drop of 68% in absolute terms). We have achieved this by minimising water use and maximising water recycling.

During 2009 we used a tool developed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development to identify levels of water stress at each of our manufacturing sites. This, along with our existing knowledge about how much water each sites use, has allowed us to prioritise our efforts further on water reduction where it matters most.

Water scarcity is also a key consideration when planning a new site or changing the production mix, especially of water-intensive products in water-scarce areas.

Across the world, our factories are implementing practices that save water. In India, our operations harvest rainwater for reuse in non-manufacturing processes or returning to groundwater systems.

Performance in 2009

We measure water consumption in all our factories. The data represents all water consumed and includes water used as an ingredient in products as well as uncontaminated non-contact cooling water and waste water.

Water reduction in manufacturing has been achieved through many initiatives. For example, our factories collect reusable water which would otherwise be wasted, such as water evaporated from fruit and vegetables during the drying process.

In 2009 we reduced our water consumption by 5.3% m3/tonne of production compared with 2008, (a reduction of 7.9% in absolute terms).

In late 2008 we sold two high-volume sites, which reduced our overall tonnage by over 500 000 tonnes. This means that for 2009 our absolute reductions are larger than our relative (per tonne) reductions for CO₂, water and total waste.

Water harvesting in India

Our Indian business harvests rainwater at a quarter of its factories, and plans to extend this practice to all sites. By collecting rainwater from roofs and surrounding areas, water can be returned to groundwater systems or used for non-manufacturing processes. Around two-thirds of our Indian sites recycle all their processing water, once appropriately treated, for reuse in manufacturing or for on-site irrigation.

Hindustan Unilever has also been looking further than its own operations through water conservation and harvesting projects that impact on areas around their sites and aid adjacent villages. Through a series of technology innovations and new processing methods, the company has reduced groundwater consumption by more than 50%, and introduced technologies that recycle effluent water after treatment.

At Hindustan Unilever's Khamgaon soap factory in Maharashtra, a water catchment system channels rainwater through ditches and low earthen banks, meaning all the rainwater falling on the Khamgaon factory now accumulates in ponds on site. This helps renew groundwater reserves, which are running at critically low levels in the region.

Adjacent villages have also been helped to implement new models of watershed development, to prevent rainwater from washing away top soil, and assist with soil conservation. These kinds of process improvement are shared through our global network.

It should be noted that over half the water used by our factories is not of drinking quality. At many of our sites in dry areas we attempt to achieve what we call zero liquid effluent by recycling waste water or using it to irrigate land on the site.

Consumption of potable & non-potable water

While we use total water consumption as our key parameter of water consumption globally, we also collect data on the amount of potable (drinking quality) and non-potable (lower quality) water that we use. For some sites this information can be useful in helping them reduce the use of potable water.