Projects & Activities

African BREwery sector Water saving initiative (ABREW)

Access to fresh water has been identified as a key condition for development, particularly in Africa. Access to water (or lack thereof) is closely linked to environmental factors such as pollution, desertification, human health and poverty. More than 300 million people lack access to safe water in Africa, resulting in an average household consumption of less than 30 litres per person and day (compared to 500 litres in the US and 200 litres in the UK).

The potential to reduce fresh water consumption in water intensive industries, such as breweries, tanneries and pulp and paper mills, is typically overlooked in Africa. Not only do these industries consume large amounts of fresh water, but they also generate waste water that can contaminate far larger amounts of water. Furthermore industrial water use tends to affect the same water sources as are used for domestic consumption.

The potential to reduce the water consumption in these sectors in Africa is considerable, considering that they typically exceed international bench marks for water consumption. According to several assessments by the NCPC network, as well as by industry itself the average water use in breweries in Africa exceeds international bench marks (5-6 l water per l beer) by 200 - 1000%. The annual beer production in Africa is about 6.6 billion litres, which means that the water consumption in this sector alone is in the range 66 to 330 million cubic meters per year. Experience from UNEP's work in the brewery sector shows that water savings in the range 20-50 % can be achieved by applying the Cleaner Production (CP) concept. This translates to potential fresh water savings up to 170 million cubic meters per year, not including the additional water resources that would be saved from contamination from waste water.

Project ABREW aims at reducing the use and pollution of fresh water in the African brewery sector by:

• Identifying policy and economic instruments needed to promote water savings in industry
  
  
• Identifying techniques and technologies for industrial water conservation
  
  
• Identifying opportunities for multiplying the adoption of water use efficiency in the brewery and bottled drinks sector
  
  
• Based on the above, developing a project, for external funding, for implementing water conservation measures in the brewery sector, and subsequently in the entire beverage sector in Africa.

Activities include:

• Sector study: Map the on-the-ground situation in the brewery sector; access to companies, current water consumption and technologies used, and opportunities for improvement
  
  
• Framework analysis: Carry out a regional analysis of policies, economic considerations, and other factors influencing the water use issues in the brewery sector. The analysis is proposed to be carried out in Uganda and three other African countries by making use of the NCP network in Morocco, Kenya and Ethiopia
  
  
• In-plant assessment in two breweries in Uganda to identify specific needs and opportunities for improvement through the CP approach
  
  
• Revise and upgrade the UNEP training materials on CP in breweries
  
  
• Prepare implementation project proposal aiming at multiplying the uptake of water conservation practices in the brewery and bottled drinks sector.
  

Water savings through Cleaner Production in the brewery sector This technical report provides guidance to managers and other professionals concerned with the brewery sector, on how to achieve water savings by applying the Cleaner Production (CP) approach. The report also addresses non-technical considerations on how to promote CP uptake in the brewery industry, and highlights the resulting economy and efficiency improvements.