‘Zero water’ plant recycles twice

 New processes and equipment at the Cero Agua factory, in the water-short state of Jalisco, enable it to use recycled water from its dairy operations. Nestlé plans to do this in its factories in other countries. 

The daily water savings equal the volume needed to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool or to supply the daily needs of 6400 Mexicans.

For 60 years the water available for each person in Mexico has declined drastically due to population growth, Nestle says. Saving groundwater is therefore important, says chief executive Paul Bulcke.

“In Mexico and around the world water is a vital and fragile resource.”

The Cero Agua dairy factory takes fresh cow milk, normally about 88% water, and heats it at low pressure to produce water vapour. This is condensed, treated and used to clean the evaporating machines themselves. Once the machines have been flushed out the water is collected once more, purified and recycled a second time.

 The water can then be reused for watering gardens or cleaning.

The amount of groundwater the Cero Agua dairy saves each day – about 1.6m L – equates to about 15% of the total water used by Nestlé in Mexico each year in its factories and offices.

Such water savings are part of Nestlé efforts to promote the “conservation, treatment, recycling and water efficiency in our operations and among farmers, suppliers and other partners in its supply chain,” says Marcelo Melchior, who heads Nestlé Mexico.

The Cero Agua project, and others, have allowed Nestlé to reduce total water withdrawal in absolute terms by almost one-third globally over the past 10 years, while increasing production. Water use per tonne of product has fallen by half.

Worldwide, Nestlé aims to further reduce its water withdrawal per tonne of product by 40% by 2015, compared to 2005.