2006 Sustainability Report - Coca-Cola Amatil

Focus on water
We live in changing climate times.
The world is warming, fresh water
reserves are fragile and greenhouse
gas emissions are taking their toll on
the environment.
In every country in which we operate,
and particularly in the world’s driest
inhabited continent, Australia, we are
committed to developing better systems
of managing our water resources.
The vast bulk of our water use is
for human consumption, as a key
ingredient in most of our beverages.
We have two sources of water for our
drinks – mains, or “town”water for
production of our soft drinks, energy
drinks, juice and sports drinks and
spring water, or groundwater, for our
bottled water.
We have two clear priorities –
maintaining the long-term
sustainability and quality of spring
water sources and maximising mains
water efficiency at our manufacturing
sites. With the latter, in Australia we
believe we achieve world’s best
practice for our industry – on average
we use just 1.55 litres of water to
produce one litre of beverage (this
includes all soft drinks, energy drinks,
water, sports drinks and juice). Most of
the water used goes into the beverage,
with just over two cups per litre left to
run and clean our manufacturing sites.
Each year we work hard to bring this
ratio down.
When it comes to spring water, or
groundwater, CCA believes that
there needs to be urgent reform of the
management of Australia’s aquifers.
CCA strongly believes all groundwater
users should be licensed and large
users should be metered and
monitored. CCA invests in
infrastructure, stringent monitoring of
its water use and undertakes rigorous
hydrogeological studies at its water
sources. Licence conditions at CCA’s
water sources explicitly state that any
taking of water must be sustainable.
SAVING WATER AT OUR PLANTS
Some of the water savings initiatives at
Australian operations include:
• Dry lubricant technology, based on
Teflon ® suspended in a unique oil
formulation, replaces water for
lubrication on some of our beverage
filling lines.
• The machines that rinse bottles before
filling are outfitted to recirculate
water, and pure water is only used for
the final rinsing, or the last 25% of the
jets over which the bottles pass. This
water is then collected and used for
preliminary rinsing in the first 75% of
the water jets.
• Changing the size of rinser nozzles so
that less water can get through. The
rinser nozzles on one of Richlands’
bottling lines have been changed from
4mm to 2mm, resulting in a reduction
of 75% of water used, or more than
12 million litres (12 megalitres or
12 olympic swimming pools) a year.
• Recycled water from the rinsers is
used on site for cooling towers, truck
wash areas, floor hose down reels
and irrigation.
• Dual flush toilets, waterless urinals
and water saving showerheads are
installed across some sites, and taps
fitted with aqualock flow regulators.
• Water savings education programs
for employees.
12