Produce food with less water? It is possible! March 22nd, World Water Day, What’s Cooking? inaugurated its brand-new water reuse installation. The installation results in half the amount of wastewater and half the amount of groundwater usage. On an annual base this translates to over 100.000 m³ of water saved, or the water usage of 1600 households.
100.000 m³ of water savings annually
The added value of such a purification installation is significant. Art Picavet, Plant Manager Wommelgem explains: “We are now able to convert the wastewater from the production process into drinking water.” Despite achieving drinking water quality with the new installation, we currently only use the water for cleaning our machines. In short, less groundwater and more own purified wastewater for cleaning.”
The innovative installation results in half the amount of wastewater and half the amount of groundwater usage. On an annual base, this translates to more than 100.000 m³ of water savings or the equivalent of the total consumption of 1600 households.
Greening of food
A year ago, the company changed course: sustainability is now a key factor in the business strategy. The installation is part of its goals, namely 'to reduce the water footprint per kilogram of product sold by 30% by 2030'.
“Thanks to our new water reuse installation we halve both our wastewater and the water we pump up for use in production”, says Lore Muylle, Group Sustainability Manager. With increasing drought stress What’s Cooking? supports nature and the groundwater level wherever it can.
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A food company needs water to make food and to clean production installations. Lore Muylle: “The standards for water management in our production process are very high. That is why we constantly monitor the water usage to organize it as efficiently as possible.”
In addition to the inauguration of the water reuse installation, there are still research projects on water reuse and purification within What’s Cooking? Group. The group is committed to reducing the environmental impact of its production. They recently signed the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTI). By 2030 the company sets strict goals for CO2 reduction.