Water
We use water the same way you use it at home only on a bigger scale; as an ingredient in food preparation and for cleaning the ovens and other equipment.
In the UK we have three plants: two in Wrexham and one in Manchester. Anyone familiar with either place will tell you that water shortages are rarely a problem! All the same, water supply is becoming more and more important. We have too much water in some places, just the right amount in others, and as we all know, in some places we don’t have anywhere near enough. Kellogg’s has operations in Australia, Spain and Mexico; three places where water is the most precious resource of all.
Our aim is to reduce the amount of water we use by 15-20% per tonne of food produced. So as with everything else, we're constantly looking to see how we can reduce our water use and keep our impact on local supplies to an absolute minimum. At the end of 2009 we had succeed in reducing our global use of water per tonne of food produced by 7.4%.
In the UK we have reduced our water use per tonne of food produced by 17.1%. There are also easy ways to save water in your home.
In the UK we use 17.1% less water in our manufacturing facilities per tonne of food than we did in 2005
Our Energy Targets
Pooling ideas
We consider water to be as precious a resource as electricity or gas. And in order for it to be treated as such on a wider level, we have to think and behave differently. For us, it's important to listen to our employees' ideas and encourage them to suggest changes we may not have thought of ourselves.
You can find out more by reading our Go Green Employee engagement programme, but one of the simplest things we did was to reduce the width of our the hoses we used – and fit water guns on the end so that water flow can be controlled. This was an idea from one of our employees. Maybe you can try that in your back garden?
On a more complicated level our Manchester site is now saving 40,000 cubic meters of water each year thanks to our having installed a recalculating water system with an air-cooled chiller unit.
Our Manchester site is now saving 40,000 cubic meters of water each year
Saving Water in Your Home
There are many easy changes you can do at home to save water, helping to save money and the environment at the same time.
Shower power - If everybody in a family of four replaced one bath a week with a five-minute shower, it would knock up to £15 a year off their energy bill.
Load up - Make sure your dishwashers and washing machines are full before putting them on, and always use the most water and energy efficient settings. When it's time to replace your appliance, try to choose one with the Energy Saving Recommended logo.
Savings on tap - Using a bowl to wash up rather than leaving the hot tap running could save around £25 a year on a household's gas bills, if you wash up twice a day. If you must rinse, wash up or prepare vegetables in the sink, use cold water where possible and don't keep the tap running!
Be smart - Only boil as much water as you need - why heat water you won't even use.
Stop running - A running tap wastes over six litres of water a minute so turn off the tap while you're brushing your teeth, shaving or washing your face – plus use cold water when you don't need hot.
Drip tip - A dripping tap can waste over 5,000 litres of water a year, so make sure your taps are properly turned off and change the washer as soon as a tap starts dripping.
Make it go further - Where possible try not to waste water. For example, pour your leftover glasses of water on houseplants, and water from the washing up bowl on outdoor plants at the roots.
For more information on water saving in your home go to Water Guide.org.uk.
United Utilities also provide easy tips how to save water in your home.
Green Finger Tips
Want to know how to have green fingers and still use water efficiently in the garden? Follow our tips.
Bring in the butt - Your hosepipe or sprinkler can use as much water in one hour as a family of four in a whole day. So invest in a water butt and use it to water your plants with a can wherever possible. Rhododendrons especially love rainwater!
Stick to your roots - Try to water in the cool of the evening or very early morning. That way less water will be lost immediately to evaporation. Direct the flow to the roots - not the leaves - to give the plants a maximum benefit.
Get mulching - Mulches such as pebbles, gravel and chipped bark are very low maintenance, and are perfect for keeping moisture in and weeds out.
Go large - Go easy on hanging baskets and small pots in summer; large containers are easier to keep watered and, plant for plant, use less water. Use moisture- retaining crystals mixed with your compost to feed your plants and reduce evaporation at the same time.
Leave the lawn - Set your mower on a higher setting and don't cut the lawn too often - longer grass retains moisture better. Lawns don't need watering - a brown lawn soon recovers after a rain.
Water wisely - Water less often but give the plants a good soak when you do, to encourage deeper rooting and sturdier plants.
Choose non-thirsty plants - By using water-saving measures and choosing plants, trees and shrubs that don't need frequent watering, you can save both water and hard graft.
The Royal Horticultural Society has a wealth of information on drought-resistant gardening.
