To Reduce Water Use

Our impacts

We use water both directly – in our manufacturing activities – and indirectly – especially through the farmers who grow our raw materials and the consumers who use our products at home.

Our approach

We aim to

• reduce water use in manufacturing

• work with farmers to reduce the water used in crop irrigation

• design products which require less water during consumer use

• address water scarcity through external partnerships.

Our recently-piloted vitality metric aims to measure a product's water impact, taking into account the water added to products during consumer use – enabling us to identify opportunities for improvements.

Water use in manufacturing

Since 1995 we have reduced the amount of water used per tonne of production by 63% through various initiatives to minimise water use and maximise water recycling. During 2008 we achieved a 3% reduction in water use compared to 2007.

Water harvesting in India

Our Indian business harvests rainwater at a quarter of its factories, and plans to extend this practice to all sites. Two-thirds of sites recycle all their processing water, once appropriately treated, for reuse in manufacturing or for on-site irrigation.

Beyond its own plants, Hindustan Unilever conducts water conservation and harvesting projects that impact on villages around their sites – cutting groundwater consumption by over 50% and introducing technologies that recycle effluent water after treatment.

At the Khamgaon soap factory in Maharastra, a water catchment system channels rainwater through ditches and low earthen banks, renewing critically-low groundwater reserves.

The business has also helped local villages implement soil-conservation techniques to prevent rainwater from washing away top soil.

Water savings in agriculture

Our Sustainable Agriculture Programme includes water use as one of its sustainability indicators. We are working with farmers to implement water reduction schemes such as drip-irrigation – and helping them deliver higher yields without using more water.

After extensive research with key partners in Tanzania, we have built an irrigation system which achieves very high fuel- and water-use efficiency – which could save as much as 700 million litres of water on a 3 000 hectare farm.

We are also working to ensure that agricultural water use does not deprive local communities of water supplies. For instance, all the water used for irrigation on our tea estates in Tanzania is harvested from the farms during the rainy season, and then stored in reservoirs and lakes for use during the dry season.

In 2008 Unilever participated in an event hosted by Wal-Mart on water stewardship, sharing our expertise on reducing water use at all steps of a product lifecycle, with a special focus on reducing water use in farming.

Water use by consumers

We can achieve a major impact by designing products that consumers don’t need as much water to use – with laundry brands taking the lead.

Innovations include Surf Excel Quick Wash in India which aims to save two buckets of water per wash, potentially saving around 14 billion litres of water a year.

Our One Rinse Comfort fabric conditioner also requires less water per wash, by eliminating the need to rinse clothes before applying the conditioner. Meanwhile, our Sunlight concentrated hand dishwashing liquid contains half the water of the standard format.

Affordability

In developing countries, water scarcity can make it costly for consumers to purchase water, which has an impact on the affordability of using our products. Our design efforts will increasingly take these broader costs into account.

Consumer communication

We can also make a big difference by communicating with consumers. For instance, in Canada, our TV, print and in-store public education campaign Go Blue enourages millions of people to conserve water.

Water quality

We are greatly concerned with the impact of product use and disposal on water quality, which is reviewed by our Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre.

Understanding how consumers use water

In South Africa, we have been working with the Royal Society of Chemistry to understand what stops consumers using water sustainably – and what encourages them to do so.

Working with others

In 2007, we joined the CEO Water Mandate, which brings together companies, leading campaigning organisations, governments and the United Nations. During 2008, a framework was agreed which asks companies to disclose their water sustainability approach.

In December 2008 Unilever helped establish the Water Footprint Network, a multi-stakeholder group which aims to raise awareness about water sustainability.

External opinion

Unilever was named industry leader from a group of 15 major companies in a recent analysis of companies' approach to water consumption. The study was carried out by the Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility, a membership organisation representing Christian faith groups, ethical investors and NGOs.