UK cosmetics companies saves money by cutting water use
savings to its manufacturing process by introducing a range of
water-saving methods.
The company told the Financial Times newspaper that it has managed to cut £22,000 (€31,700) from its yearly water bill after implementing a series of measures suggested by local water company, Southern Water.
The cosmetics manufacturing process requires the use of large amounts of water. Processes such as pumping and cleaning are water-intensive, while the actual formulation of the finished products also includes large quantities of filtered water.
Although Hampshire Cosmetics is a relatively small player, with sales of £14m and a staff of over just over 280, the company said that a significant percentage of its overheads were spent on both the water used in its production process, as well as the treatment of waste water.
The company produces a range of cosmetics products including anti-perspirants, creams, deodorants, fine fragrance, gels, hair colour, scrubs and waxes that are used for dental, eyes, hair and skin products.
It says that the main incentive for cutting its water bill was to cut its overheads, but environmental issues were also an important.
Currently a number of regions in the UK are suffering from some of the lowest levels of rain fall for many years, and a number of areas, including that covered by Southern Water, have had to go to the extreme of introducing hosepipe bans in an effort to save on consumption and maintain resevoir levels.
Further to this water authorities are also calling on industry to do its turn. They are emphasizing the potential cost savings that companies can make as an incentive to participate in programmes that can help cut back on water consumption.
Hampshire Cosmetics worked with Envirowise, a UK organisation established to help businesses to meet environmental regulations. The measures introduced by the company were varied, ranging from fitting bags in toilet cisterns to spray fittings on taps.
Other processes were more far-reaching, targeting the actual production process. These measures included changing the membranes used in one of the company's key industrial processes and the reuse water for certain processes, particularly cleaning.
