I was reading Heinz's Second Corporate Social Responsibility Report for 2007, which believe it or not, was pretty interesting. You never think about the water and the manufacturing know-how needed to miraculously produce that bottle of ketchup.Over the past two fiscal years, Heinz reports that nearly 3 million cubic meters of water have been saved throughout their global manufacturing operations. And more importantly, they are tracking these water savings throughout their global operation.
Some water highlights reported in the report:
• In North America, Heinz launched a series of internal initiatives that are expected to save 30 million gallons of water annually. In their facilities in the United States, water is being captured, treated and reused amazingly as many as 10 times in the manufacturing process.Read the Report.
• In Australia, Heinz achieved a 50% reduction in water used per every ton of product manufactured at their Echuca facility in Fiscal 2007. This was done through the installation of new equipment that regulates water use and includes motion sensors that turn water on and off when a line is in use, and by implementing new procedures to control water usage. A project to achieve a further 20% reduction in water usage is now underway.
• In Venezuela, Heinz saved 16.4 million gallons of water by upgrading to more efficient infant nutrition production equipment.
• In China, Heinz is reusing treated discharged water for landscaping purposes, and has reduced water usage through staff education and technology.
