Navigating a Drier Future: Water Resilience & Strategic Planning
Over the past three posts, we've charted a course through the critical landscape of water in the drinks industry. We began by highlighting the escalating water crisis and its direct relevance to our sector. We then sailed into the agricultural supply chain, examining the vast embedded water footprint of our ingredients. Last week, we turned the focus in-house, exploring practical strategies for optimising water use within our production facilities.
For this last article in the series, we cast our eyes forward and look to the horizon. The trends we've discussed: increasing water scarcity, climate change impacts, and evolving regulations are not fleeting challenges; they are the defining characteristics of the future. Building long-term water resilience is no longer a responsible choice; it's a fundamental necessity for the survival and prosperity of any drinks business. This final article will explore the key elements of strategic water planning and summarise the core messages of our series.
Turning on the Taps Wisely: Optimising Water Use in Drinks Production
Welcome back to our series on water stewardship. In the last article, we journeyed upstream to the source of our ingredients, exploring the immense water footprint embedded in our agricultural supply chains and the importance of collaborating with farmers to reduce it. Now, we bring our focus back within our own four walls: the distillery, the brewery, the winery, the production plant.
The water used in our direct operations – for cleaning, cooling, processing, and as an ingredient – represents the part of our water footprint over which we have the most direct control. It is here that targeted action, smart investment, and a shift in mindset can lead to significant and measurable reductions in water consumption, delivering both environmental benefits and operational efficiencies. For any drinks business serious about sustainability, optimising in-house water use is a fundamental, non-negotiable step.
And we’ve already covered the case of water limitations being put in place in Suffolk which stifles growth opportunities, so improving water efficiency becomes business critical.
A systematic approach to operational water management can be broken down into three core actions: Measure, Reduce, and Reuse/Recycle.
The Source of Sustainability: Water Stewardship in Our Agricultural Supply Chain
In my previous article, "The Well Runs Dry? Why Water Demands Urgent Attention in the Drinks Industry," I confronted the stark realities of water scarcity, escalating demand, and the regulatory pressures impacting our sector. Water is not an infinite commodity but our most indispensable, and increasingly vulnerable, ingredient and operational resource.
Having grasped the magnitude of the issue, the critical question becomes: where do we begin to make a tangible difference? For many drinks businesses, the most significant portion of their total water footprint lies not within the walls of their distillery, brewery, or winery, but further afield – embedded within the agricultural raw materials that form the very essence of their products. This week, we explore the vital importance of water stewardship in these agricultural supply chains.
The Well Runs Dry? Why Water Demands Urgent Attention in the Drinks Industry
That seemingly endless resource that falls from the sky (especially if you’re from the UK) is fast becoming one of the biggest risks – and overlooked opportunities – for every drinks business on the planet. From vineyard to distillery, brewery to brand, the global water crisis isn't just lapping at our shores; it's threatening to breach the gates and dry up the lakes, all at the same time. I sound a bit hyperbolic writing this, as if predicting some Frank Miller inspired Max Maxian future, but water is the true currency of survival, and our industry needs a wake-up call – now.
With the impending risk of a summer drought in the UK this year after the driest Spring since 1852, I thought now was a good time to talk about water. This is the first instalment of an exciting new four-part series coming to a computer or phone near you entitled: "Water: The Indispensable Element – Charting a Course for Stewardship in the Drinks Industry."
Over the coming weeks, I’ll not just be writing about sweet, sweet H₂O; I’ll be dissecting a critical business imperative – understanding water's real value, the threats to its availability, and how your business can build resilience in an increasingly thirsty world.
The Nature Footprint of Alcohol: Biodiversity Loss and the Path to Resilient Drinks Businesses
When we talk about sustainability in drinks, discussions often focus on carbon emissions, and rightfully so as it’s the most important challenge we must tackle. But climate change isn’t the only crisis the planet faces. Biodiversity loss is accelerating at an alarming rate, with species extinction now occurring up to 1,000 times faster than the natural background rate due to human activity.
Nature is not just a backdrop or somewhere we go at the weekend, it is the foundation on which everything we value is built. From the air we breathe to the water we drink, from the food on our plates to the raw materials that fuel our economies, nature sustains us in ways we often take for granted.