Our water usage

The Logistics Africa and Automotive Industrial operations account for the most significant water consumption across the group as large numbers of trucks and cars are washed on a daily basis. Logistics operations are also required to wash tankers internally in accordance with strict standards. Office and garden use accounts for the remaining water consumption.

We continuously endeavour to reduce our fresh water consumption by using water more efficiently, increasing water recycling, harvesting rain water and preventing the contamination of ground and surface water resources in the areas where we operate.

While no water sources or related ecosystems/habitats are significantly affected by our water withdrawal, the use of inland waterways by our shipping operations in Europe can have a potential impact. In this regard we comply with strict legislation and follow best practice to minimise our impact on these water resources.

We measure water usage at each operation via our internal automated non-financial reporting system.

Water usage for the group increased during the year under review from 1 701 kiloliters in 2012 to 1 739 kiloliters in 2013. This represents a 2% year-on-year increase.

Water used per division
Source	Litres (million)		Percentage
Logistics Africa	749
Logistics International	123
Automotive and Industrial	858
Financial Services	9
Total		1 739

Water withdrawn per source
Source	Litres (million)
Total potable water (drinking water) purchased from water utilities	1 739

Water efficiency initiatives

Businesses across the group have implemented programmes to manage water usage. We recognise that this is as much a business cost-saving imperative as it is an issue of environmental responsibility.

During the year Imperial Cargo Solutions installed a water treatment plant at its wash bay to treat – and ultimately reuse – the water used to clean between 15 and 18 large vehicles a day. The plant uses natural algae to clean the water, negating the use of chemicals and additives. In the first four months of operation, the plant treated and recycled 64% of the water used and annual forecasts are for a saving of 85%. The treated water conforms to the World Standard for wash bay water. Two 5 kilolitre rainwaterharvesting tanks were also installed for top-up purposes.

The majority of our motor vehicle and logistics businesses have migrated to waterless wash bays. These reduce the amount of water used to wash a single car from around 2,7 litres to less than 1 litre. Europcar, which washes approximately 4 500 vehicles a day, has achieved a water recycle rate of approximately 95% through these wash bays. Since the inception of its extensive water conservation and management project, the business has saved approximately 154 million litres of municipal water and just under 54 million litres for the year under review. All main depots use recycled water in the vehicle wash bays. A water recycling plant is used in the panel shops’ primary car rental repair facility and all other facilities use steam cleaning technology to reduce water consumption.

Several businesses have also installed rain harvesting systems that capture rain water and run off, thereby reducing dependency on municipal water.

In the Automotive and Industrial division where water recycling facilities have been installed, the average pay-back period on these facilities has been 2,5 years, which is quite remarkable given that the lifespan of these facilities is 20 years.