Damm, first company to achieve EsAgua Platinum status for sustainable water management
The company has successfully implemented a plan of measures to reduce its water consumption in factories, which has enabled it to reduce its water consumption by 36% since 2008
Damm, a member of the United Nations Global Compact and firmly committed to achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, has become the first company to achieve Platinum status awarded by the EsAgua network. Cetaqua, Water Footprint Network and DNV recognised the company for its excellence and commitment to the responsible use of water in its operations.
Damm has achieved this important environmental milestone as part of its commitment to the EsAgua network, an alliance of companies committed to the sustainable use of water and the water footprint. The Platinum category is the highest recognition given to the organisation's participating companies and is awarded to those companies that have developed actions and implemented measures focused on reducing their environmental impact.
"Under the maxim 'Measure, analyse and act', the company has promoted multiple projects to improve the environment and reduce water consumption in all manufacturing processes," says Juan Antonio López Abadía, director of Damm's Department for Environment and Energy Optimisation. These initiatives have led the company to reduce water consumption in its factories by 36% since 2008. In addition, the brewery was a pioneer in the industry in promoting the calculation of the water footprint and of each product unit in order to control and reduce its environmental impact.
Reduction of water consumption throughout the chain
Damm has promoted a transversal environmental management system with actions aimed at reducing its environmental impact. In the current context of climate emergency and water scarcity, optimising water consumption throughout its value chain has become a priority.
The company promotes the detailed quantification of the water consumption of its 16 production and packaging plants in the Iberian Peninsula and the water footprint of its value chain through the environmental indicators of the Water Footprint (Water Footprint Network methodology) and the Water Footprint (ISO 14046 methodology). Damm is also a member of the Comunitat d'Usuaris d'Aigües de la Vall Baixa i Delta del Llobregat (CUADLL), whose aim is to achieve sustainable use of the water reserves stored in the deep aquifer of the Llobregat River and to promote the implementation of new mechanisms for saving and rationalising water use among user organisations.
In addition to the projects developed in the factories, Damm's teams advise farmers on how to optimise their crops' water consumption. In this respect, the company is working on digitalising the cultivation processes, which among other things enables it to measure and reduce water consumption in barley production fields, which account for around 95% of a brewery's water footprint.
