Water

STRATEGY

Understanding our water risk and impact is essential for the sustainability of our operations. We must be innovative in mitigating some of the negative impacts of our operations in areas where water quality and availability are at risk. We must also minimise the risk to our business.

We have established a systematic water management process across our operations and in the communities where we work.

We aim to:

Reduce water consumption and manage wastewater across our operations and in our supply chain
Partner for collective action, research and education with suppliers, farmers, academic institutions, community-based organisations, bodies such as WWF-SA and initiatives such as the United Nations Global Compact CEO Water Mandate
Create awareness among our employees, suppliers and customers, and in schools in our communities

MANAGEMENT APPROACH

The Group applies innovative solutions for monitoring and managing water consumption across our operations. Stores account for 60% of water consumed in our direct operations, and this is one of our main focus points.

Using internal green building protocols to facilitate water-efficient design, we implement various technologies to reduce our consumption:

Rainwater harvesting
Water recycling
Use of alternate water supplies
Installation of air-cooled refrigeration and air-conditioning systems based on commercial viability and their remaining useful lives
Dual-flush toilets
Timer taps on basins

We install backup water tanks in areas experiencing water shortages on a needs basis.

Water availability and quality impact the sourcing of raw materials and processing of finished products. We engage with our suppliers to implement innovative solutions to monitor and manage their water usage through programmes such as Farming for the Future, water stewardship, and Factories of the Future.

Woolworths works with schools in impoverished communities to educate children about the importance of water conservation, sanitation, and hygiene. We do this through the Woolworths Making the Difference Programme. Through the Woolies Water Fund, we install water tanks at schools affected by drought and those with inadequate infrastructure.

As a participant in the United Nations Global Compact CEO Water Mandate, we commit to continuous progress against six elements of water stewardship and identifying and managing our water risk.