Not only do manufacturers need to worry about their carbon footprint, they also must take their water footprint into account to achieve a fully sustainable future
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Do you want to reduce the water footprint at your facility? Chuck Gordon, President and CEO of Siemens Water Technologies, a leading provider of the most comprehensive, cost-effective and reliable water treatment systems and services portfolio, recommends the following five easy tips for factory and manufacturing facility owners and operators to reduce their water footprint and start reaping the savings:
1. Do Your Homework. Annually review your water management strategy from
intake to discharge. Where it makes sense, take steps to reduce your
water footprint. Ask for expert advice. There are technologies
available that offer sustainable solutions for manufacturers and
communities alike to treat water to virtually any specification. By doing
an audit, you can identify ways to reduce your water footprint
immediately. Be sure to continue to monitor your usage closely. One
website which explains how a corporation can look at their water
footprint is:
http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/CorporateWaterFootprints
2. Treat Water as a Valuable Resource. Treated water isn't free. It takes
energy and technological resources to treat water. Statistics show that
almost 50% of the world's population by 2030 will be living in areas of
high water stress. So, the more tightly managed the water usage, the
better.
3. Reuse and Recycle. Capturing, treating and recycling water during the
manufacturing process can reduce water use by millions of gallons per
year, as well as save money. This can be achieved by looking at areas
like your boiler feed water, utility water, or, in the example of a major
beverage manufacturer, water used in packaging preparation: One customer
was able to put new processes in place to re-capture and treat the water
they were using for bottle washing, ultimately saving 25,000 gallons of
water a day.
4. Reduce Waste. An effective water management strategy can help reduce
waste and discharge, while also helping to help to meet regulatory
requirements. Even taking a closer look at wastewater and identifying
other uses within the facility can result in great savings. For example,
a major healthcare products manufacturer recovered its waste stream and
reused its feedwater, enabling it to recover more than 52 million gallons
of water per year.
5. Consider the Water/Energy Link. Energy costs account for nearly 30% of
the operational costs at water treatment facilities. Technology
advancements such as better automation, reuse technologies and
waste-to-energy technologies can mean greater energy efficiencies. A
major brewing company installed technology, which by converting its waste
to energy, was able to save the equivalent of $500,000 in energy costs
per year at a single location. So don't just look at the water use ...
follow the electricity usage as well. They're more connected than you
think!
These five helpful tips along with more information on reducing your water footprint can be found on Siemens' website using the following link: www.siemens.com/water_footprint
About Siemens
Siemens AG (NYSE: SI) is a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, and operates in the industry, energy and healthcare sectors. For more than 160 years, Siemens has built a reputation for leading-edge innovation and the quality of its products, services and solutions. With 428,000 employees in 190 countries, Siemens reported worldwide sales of $116.6 billion in fiscal 2008. With its U.S. corporate headquarters in New York City, Siemens in the USA reported sales of $22.4 billion and employs approximately 69,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico. For more information on Siemens in the United States, visit www.usa.siemens.com
SOURCE Siemens Water Technologies
Web site: http://www.usa.siemens.com/
