Greene King engaged with independent water management consultancy Waterscan to deliver significant efficiencies in water consumption and support enhanced social responsibility across its former Spirit Pub Company estate.
The result was a £900,000 water cost saving with consumption savings equivalent to 304 million pints! The initiative, which scooped the Water Efficient Project of the Year award at the 2015 Energy Awards, highlights how accurate data and a clear strategy can result in significant financial and sustainability benefits.
Waterscan used its online water management system, Waterline© as an integral part of its strategy for Greene King. Waterline establishes a clear picture of performance and is extremely helpful for multi-site organisations since the data generated facilitates the identification of high consumption sites versus a site appropriate baseline. Such sites can then be audited to fully understand where the issues lie, and then at a corporate level, it’s possible to analyse risks and opportunities for improvement. Finally, by considering a variety of operational scenarios and deploying the latest technologies, Waterscan proposes the optimum strategy in line with business goals and continues to monitor performance through its Waterline system.
The strategy was a first in the pub and restaurant arena and incorporated a number of core areas:
1. Assessment and validation of current position and baseline data.
2. Clarification and definition of targets with agreed KPIs.
3. Physical assessment of opportunities to reduce consumption.
4. Delivery of reduction through a multi-faceted approach.
5. Clear demonstration and reporting of reductions achieved.
6. Monitoring, management and maintenance of target.
149 audits of high-consuming pubs were conducted by Waterscan technicians and these highlighted opportunities for greater efficiency. Waterscan identified and fixed leaks on supply and internal pipework, fixed faulty water storage tanks, taps, urinal controls and toilets and also resolved shared supply and meter reading issues. Overall, Greene King’s water consumption was reduced by 173,000m3 (12.13%) – or 304 million pints over a three year period versus a 2012 baseline across this part of their estate!
“The pub sector employs over 1 million people and contributes £20 billion to the economy. Over 107,000,000 pints of beer were served to customers each year across the former Spirit portfolio of 1,400 pubs. These volumes demonstrate that pubs are a great place to start making a significant difference to the environment,” commented Claire Yeates, Director at Waterscan. She continued: “Our approach for this project pushed the boundaries of traditional water management in the sector by setting targets for reduction and thinking holistically about all water associated risks,”
Gavin Worthington, Purchasing Manager for Greene King added: “This water project was as an integral part of our corporate social responsibility programme. Once we had meaningful data, we set a consumption reduction target of 12% for 2015 against a 2012 baseline and we were delighted to surpass this.”
He continued: “Whilst delivering an excellent financial result, we were particularly impressed with the expertise and market insight which the Waterscan team brought to the project. We now work together in partnership and have much better management of water in our business. The comprehensive strategic approach delivers against defined annual targets and performance is tracked to ensure success. As a result, our data has improved dramatically and leaves us well placed ahead of market deregulation.”
