Sustainability Indicators - Fonterra

Resource Consumption
Water
KEY FIGURES
• 2.3 litres of water withdrawn per litre of
raw milk processed
• Fresh water withdrawal has remained static
since 2006 on a litre of milk processed basis
Water Withdrawal
2
Fonterra’s New Zealand manufacturing sites withdrew more
than 34 million cubic metres of fresh water during the 2009
season. This equates to 2.3 litres of fresh water per litre
of raw milk processed. The majority of water comes from
rivers and ground water with additional inputs from district
councils.
The fresh water usage per litre of raw milk processed
has remained static since 2006 (as a ratio of raw milk
processed). This result is depressed in real terms as a result
of the change in product mix towards a higher proportion
of specialty milk products. There has been a consequential
change in resource use including more frequent cleaning
relative to the tonnage manufactured, requiring more
water usage.
Water Recycling
While New Zealand is in the fortuitous position of having an
abundant water source, Fonterra maintains a healthy respect
for our water sources and uses water recycling technology
wherever it is practical. The quantity of water recycled
within Fonterra’s New Zealand manufacturing sites during
the 2009 season is estimated at 2.34 million cubic metres –
this is mostly made up from reverse osmosis and evaporator
condensate.
average water wuthdrawn (L water/L raw milk collected)
5.00
4.50
4.00
3.50
3.00
2.50
2.00
1.50
1.00
0.50
static
For example, up to 2800 cubic metres per day of reverse
osmosis polisher water is reused in manufacturing
operations at the whey plant at our Lichfield site. This
reduces the volume of water required for processing and
also reduces the wastewater volume. The Lichfield site is
working towards self-sufficiency for water consumption in
its whey products plant. Reuse of reverse osmosis polisher
water is currently being investigated at other Fonterra sites,
such as Hautapu.
Water is also reused at a number of sites in non-critical
applications. At the Hautapu site, for instance, reuse water
is used for casein washing, in the Milk Protein Concentrate
plant and in cheese manufacturing.
Fonterra has a research programme underway to investigate
the reuse of condensates in processing plants. This project is
evaluating advanced oxidation technologies to increase the
range of areas where water can be reused.
0.00
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