Waterscan will act as Kellogg’s managing agent taking on the role and responsibilities for the water retail functions, provide technical support and work to find further water efficiency savings. Managing Director Neil Pendle, commented: “We’re very proud to be partnering with Kellogg’s, a leading sustainability motivated business. With water such a big focus and something the company is proactively committed to managing at all times, we are confident that working together with Kellogg’s to self-supply will build on the success of its water management programme to date.”
He added: “We were delighted to welcome the Kellogg’s team to our most recent Self-Supply User Forum where they were able to meet and learn from industry peers and build dialogue with key water market participants. We very much hope that Kellogg’s will continue to represent the food manufacturing sector in this unique setting to help drive further positive impacts for water customers.”
Kellogg’s partnered with Waterscan to support its ambition to self-supply, as Paul Wrigley, plant director at the Kellogg’s Manchester site explains: “After looking at our options, we decided that having a water self-supply licence will help us meet our water reduction targets faster as we will have complete control over and trust in our data. It is important to us that we work with the Waterscan team of experts through the self-supply process. The company’s innovative and forward-thinking approach is very similar to our own company values.”
Once Ofwat has completed its due diligence on the licence application, Kellogg’s will be able to benefit from having greater control over its trade effluent discharge, generate savings by paying wholesale prices and have voting rights which will give large-scale manufacturing organisations a greater customer voice in the water marketplace.
Owner of some of the world’s most iconic brands and recognised as the UK’s most trusted food and drink company, Kellogg’s has long been committed to doing what’s right for society and the environment. Water reduction is a key pillar of its global 2020 sustainability commitments because it is integral to operations and Kellogg’s recognises that growing water scarcity is a global risk for communities around the world where it sources ingredients and manufactures food. It has therefore set bold targets to drive down water usage by 15 per cent against a 2015 baseline. With the Manchester plant being such a large operation, any reductions that can be made here will have a significant effect on reaching this goal.
More and more high water-consuming organisations are choosing to self-supply in the open water market. Ofwat has previously granted licences to Greene King, Whitbread, Marston’s, Stonegate Pub Company, Heineken, Coca Cola European Partners, Ellis, BT and Blackpool Council. Considerable positive impacts are being seen as a result, clearly demonstrating what customers can achieve. For example, four hospitality giants (Greene King, Whitbread, Marston’s and Stonegate Pub Company) have together saved 392,315m³ since they switched to self-supply - the equivalent of over 690 million pints.
