Episode: VIC Waterwise Special ? Our Changing Climate
Presenter: Melissa King

The name Cadbury Schweppes conjures up images of sweet indulgences, rivers of milk chocolate and effervescent bubbles but they have been eagerly looking at ways to cut back on indulgences of another kind a precious liquid that is truly essential to our survival: Water.

Surprisingly, 28% of Melbourne?s total water is used by industry and with pressure being put on home owners to turn the tap off, many of us are asking what are the business sector doing to tackle the issue?

In many instances industrial processes don?t need to use high quality water, so there is enormous scope to use alternate water sources or innovative technology to save water.

All the magic starts on the factory floor. When the drinks are packaged into cans or plastic bottles they are run through a series of conveyor belts which are a key part of the manufacturing process. Traditionally these belts were driven by a water based lubricant system, which consumed kilolitres of water each year.

Thanks to some innovative technology here in Australia, the old conveyor lines at the Cadbury Schweppes Tullamarine site have been replaced by a system that uses minimal water on the PET or plastic bottle, lines. It is a simple change but one that saves some 22,000 kilolitres of water and wastewater a year. That is more than 10 Olympic size swimming pools.

This is just one of many projects supported by the Smart Water Fund which was established in 2002 to support innovative sustainable water use projects like this. Since it began, the fund has initiated more than 75 projects, sharing in 11 million dollars worth of funding.

Not only does the new system at Cadbury Schweppes save water, it is also a more efficient, cleaner and safer production process, making them industry leaders.

It is the perfect example of how the smallest changes in thinking and technology can make the world of difference.

Cadbury Schweppes
http://www.cadburyschweppes.com/EN

Smart Water Fund
http://www.southeastwater.com.au/sewl/index.asp?link_id=29.1513