Our performance

Water use in manufacturing

Our manufacturing operations account for less than 5% of our total water imprint. We started systematically measuring water consumption in manufacturing in 1995. Since then, we have reduced overall water consumption per tonne of production in manufacturing by 63% by minimising water use and maximising water recycling.

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.

In 2008, we achieved a 7.1% reduction in total water use and a reduction per tonne of production of 2.7%, meeting our 2008 milestone of a 1.8% reduction. The main reasons for this decrease in water use were improved temperature control for cooling water in the US and the Netherlands and increased water recirculation and reuse in the US, India and Côte d'Ivoire. There is also a general trend towards more concentrated liquid products globally, resulting in less water consumption. Nine of our sites reduced their water consumption by more than 100 000m³ and a further eleven sites by 50 000m³.

It should be noted that over half the water used by our factories was 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.

Water use in agriculture

Water is one of the 11 core indicators we use in our Sustainable Agriculture Programme. We tackle our upstream water use by working closely with our growers to reduce their water impacts.

Growers are required to conserve water and prevent pollutants reaching surface and ground water sources. Different crops have differing water needs and our pilot projects are designed to reflect this.

Irrigation studies

• Americas

Tomato plants need lots of water to grow. Drip irrigation on an experimental farm owned by Unilever in Brazil reduced water use by up to 30%.

In the US, we are working with tomato farmers, our suppliers, tomato processors, the University of California Co-operative Extension and the California resource conservation districts to devise a pilot to optimise water conservation when irrigating. To do this, six tomato fields had their water usage measured, three using drip irrigation and three using furrow or flood irrigation. The team found that, on average, the drip-fed fields used less water and had a higher crop yield.

The next step for the group is to finalise the irrigation metric and work with growers to ensure they have the tools they need to optimise their irrigation systems. This will involve developing a robust data set of at least 30 farmers.

Unilever has also agreed to sponsor a training programme starting in March 2009 for Spanish-speaking irrigators, run by the University of California Co-operative Extension Service. The programme will give irrigators recognised training credentials and ensure principles of water efficiency are understood.

• Africa

In Tanzania we have been conducting research with academic partners to understand how tea yield and crop quality are influenced by irrigation methods. Initial results from drip irrigation trials showed a 10% water saving compared to current irrigation techniques, with no loss of yield. This is equivalent to saving 70 litres of water for every kilo of black tea produced. If implemented on a 3 000 acre farm, we anticipate this would save 700 million litres of water.

• Europe

Since 2006 we have been running training programmes for farmers in Italy on best practice in spinach irrigation. Initial results have been promising on both saving of water and the energy required to pump the water. A new low-pressure irrigation technique developed by our Findus brand colleagues in Italy has been shown to require 45% less fuel to pump the water.

Widening our scope

We have begun to expand our work at farm level to look at the wider impact of agricultural practices and the consequences of competing demands on water catchment areas. This is important because of the wider impact water quality and resources have on our business. Not only do agricultural practices have the potential to cause off-site impacts, they can also be threatened by other activities, such as industry, that affect the supply and quality of water.

This work has led to some positive outcomes, such as Unilever Tea Tanzania's (UTT) planting of 10 000 trees on its own estates and donating 20 000 indigenous trees to communities in its local water catchment area to help conserve water resources. Tea plants require regular rainfall to produce their best leaves and forests are an important factor in ensuring rainfall patterns remain stable and in protecting water catchment areas. UTT’s biodiversity action plan has set a target to plant 150 000 trees by 2010.