Water

About this Graph

This graph shows how much water we are using at our UK sites, relative to the amount of product that we make. The blue line is the monthly figure, which varies greatly throughout the year according to the seasons. The green line is a twelve month moving average which gives us a better indication of the overall trend. We’re aiming for a downwards trend, which would indicate that we’re becoming more efficient with time.

We use this benchmarked statistic rather than total consumption, because it allows us to judge the efficiency of water use independently of the company’s growth. Total consumption is not very useful for efficiency because it rises and falls according to how much we sell. What we want to ensure is that we are using energy as efficiently as possible, whatever the sales.

The statistic is not perfect however, and changes over time can be caused by factors other than efficiency. For example, if we were to outsource our bottle filling process, the water used to flush out that line would no longer be accounted for internally, and would make the overall process appear more efficient. When there are significant changes in the graph, we will endeavour to insert a comment which explains the possible reasons, including whether there has been a change in outsourcing.

Methodology Overview

Every month, readings are taken from all the water meters at our UK sites. The water use shown here is a result of manufacturing, bottle filling, toilets and drinking water etc. At the time of writing the statistic does not include water consumption at our offices in the USA or Poland, but this is expected to be modest given their small size. Some of the buildings included in this measure are also shared by our sister company Páramo. Any buildings used exclusively by Páramo staff have been excluded.

Our manufacturing teams give a monthly report of the number of litres of finished product made. This includes all products lines. We divide the monthly figure for water use by the litres finished, to generate the data points displayed above.

If you have any questions regarding the methodology used to produce this graph, please contact the Nikwax Environmental Management team.