Introduction
The PHS Group is a leading workplace services provider; through
distinctive business units it provides a wide range of products and
services including wash room services, waste management, laundry
and the provision of work wear.
PHS has taken sustainability to the very heart of its business. It
understands the commercial incentive for embracing low carbon
solutions and is keen to differentiate its products and services in
an increasingly carbon-conscious market.
The Waterlogic division of PHS is Europe's leading supplier of
mains-fed water dispensers. While mains-fed drinking water
dispensers are known to be significantly less expensive than
bottled water cooler alternatives, the perception that they are
also have a lower environmental impact is less widespread.
challenge
PHS wanted to confirm that the Waterlogic WL2000 was a less
carbon intensive method of providing water to workers than a
bottled water cooler and the reasoning behind this
assessment.
PHS also wanted to identify areas where the greenhouse gas (GHG)
impact was largest across the lifecycle of the Waterlogic machine
to enable a targeted carbon reduction strategy.
solution
Sustain undertook a 'cradle to grave' comparative carbon
footprint assessment of both Waterlogic WL2000 and a bottled water
cooler, following Sustain's streamlined QuickSteps methodology.
This style of analysis provides a quick and cost-effective
assessment of the carbon impacts across the full life cycle of
goods and services. It focuses on gathering data from the
activities under the direct control of the client supported by data
from previous studies and the industry.
The functional units of a single Waterlogic WL2000 mains-fed
dispenser and equivalent number of bottled water coolers were
chosen to represent a fair and unbiased comparison.
The units were considered over a typical lifespan of five years
including the production of the dispenser from its component parts,
transport, storage, distribution to the client-base, servicing and
repairs, refurbishment, energy consumption and the disposal of
waste. The use phase was also carefully modelled to consider low,
medium, high water usage.
Over the five year life cycle for the dispensing unit - based on
medium water consumption the carbon footprint of Waterlogic WL2000
was 456kg CO2e, while that of the bottled water cooler
was 1,301 kg CO2e (shown in figure 1 below).
outcome
By comparing both systems we found that the Waterlogic WL2000 displayed a total carbon footprint of 846 kg CO2e less (65% less) than the bottled water cooler. The difference in carbon footprints was mainly due to the additional energy required to cool bottled water (in comparison to cool mains water) and the additional transportation of bottled water to the customers (in comparison to water transported through mains pipeline).
- The study empowered PHS with positive evidence to back up claims of environmental performance when marketing the Waterlogic WL2000.
- PHS' customers are increasingly carbon-conscious; confident that the Waterlogic WL2000 can help them reduce their own impacts PHS has been able to use the results of the study to win significant new corporate contracts.
- Identification of the carbon and energy 'hotpots' in the life cycle of the machine, have enabled PHS to initiate significant reduction initiatives, improvingnthe efficiency of the manufacturing process.
"We were delighted with the results of the carbon footprint that Sustain undertook of our WL2000 water dispenser. It has allowed us to independently quantify the environmental benefits of our service and demonstrate to our customers the real carbon impact of their choices. Considering the complexities and uncertainties in the carbon footprinting arena, we also found the Sustain project to be a surprisingly simple and rewarding process which resulted in strong marketing messages and genuine operational insight"
Emma Wood, Group Sustainability Manager, PHS Group Plc
