Armed with this data, we looked for areas where we could find savings. These ranged from identifying sites where we use a lot of water, so it could be reduced, to simply finding water leaks to fix.
We then installed water-saving devices in the right places – such as waterless urinals, low-flow toilets, percussion taps, more than 170 rainwater harvesting systems and reclaimed-water carwashes.
We also developed three water-neutral stores – where, in addition to water-saving measures, we offset the rest of our water use by sponsoring water saving in the community.
Such steps mean that our relative water use has gone down by 54 per cent since 2005/6. Overall, that’s about 1 billion litres in a year, enough to fill 400 Olympic-sized pools.
Towards our target
We’re pleased with our progress but there’s still more to do to hit our target of cutting relative water use by 55 per cent, compared to 2005/06.
During 2016/17 alone, we needed to save 85 million litres of water to offset increases in use due to new stores and other changes. We achieved this by finalising the roll out of innovative water-saving urinals across our estate.
We’ve also signed the Courtauld 2025 agreement that, among other things, commits us to reducing the impact of water use in food and drink supply chains.