UK plants can cut water costs with 'big splash'

After implementing a number of successful water-saving initiatives, Suffolk-based pharmaceuticals company Genzyme has made savings of £15,000. Now the government-funded programme Envirowise is calling for more UK-based companies in the chemical sector to reduce their water usage and save money in the process.

By signing up to the 'big splash' challenge, run by Envirowise, companies can get free industry-specific guidance on water minimisation, including an on-site water and waste review and help with implementation and evaluation.

With water becoming a scarcer and more expensive resource in the UK, something as seemingly harmless as a leaving a hose running to drain all day can cost a business as much as £46,500 annually. Even a dripping tap can waste 26 litres of water a day, at a cost of more than £750 a year.

Genzyme, which had already started looking at water saving before joining the big splash, has implemented measures that include recycling process wash water, the installation of automated continuous monitoring equipment and improving procedures for water supply shut-off. The company is now operating well within trade effluent volume limits, and has consequently increased its production expansion potential.

This year Envirowise hopes to help more companies introduce water conservation techniques that could cut annual consumption by up to 30%.