Nestlé Ghana Reuses 30% of Its Treated Waste Water

By Maxwell Ofori
[email protected].      
The Tema factory of Nestlé Ghana Limited, for some time now, has been using 30% of the waste water which the company generates to water lawns, flush toilets, among other uses in the factory.

This has been possible as a result of the procurement of a water treatment plant by the company to reverse the waste water into clean water for factory use.

This came to light when the company hosted a section of journalists from the Parliamentary Press Corps on a tour of its Tema factory, one of the seven factories in Central and West Africa.

Speaking with members of the Parliamentary Press Corp, Corporate Communications & Public Affairs Manager, Ama Amoah (Mrs.) indicated that, the company has invested CHF1.1 million in the Ultra Filtration-Reverse Osmosis system at the Tema factory.

According to her, the water treatment plant was to improve the quality of waste water, citing that: “the system also enables Nestlé to reuse 30% of Waste Water Treatment Plant effluent for non-core activities, reducing the total factory water consumption by 10%.

“In Ghana, the company has invested CHF 1.1 million in an Ultra Filtration-Reverse Osmosis system at our Tema factory to improve the quality of waste water. The system also enables Nestlé to reuse 30% of Waste Water Treatment Plant effluent for non-core activities, reducing the total factory water consumption by 10%,”She remarked.

She added that Nestlé is committed to contributing to product safety, healthy lives and inclusive communities.

She also highlighted the company’s commitments to building healthy lives and inclusive communities through its ‘Creating Shared Value’, safety and quality standards.

Mrs. Ama Amoah, Corporate Communications & Public Affairs Manager for Nestlé Ghana told journalists that: “Creating Shared Value is a fundamental part of Nestlé's way of doing business that focuses on specific areas of Nestlé's core business activities; where value can best be created for both society and shareholders.

“Any business that thinks long-term and follows sound business principles creates value for shareholders and for society through its activities, in terms of jobs for workers, taxes to support public services, and economic activity in general. CSV interests are in long-term gains rather than short-term publicity wins,” she opined.

Addressing the group of journalists, the Factory Manager for Nestlé Ghana, Gbenga Oladunjoye emphasized the company's commitment to ensuring quality and safety of its products with a strong adherence to compliance.

More than 85% of Nestlé products sold in Central and West Africa are manufactured locally. Nestlé has made 39 global commitments in the areas of nutrition, water, rural development and responsible sourcing, people, compliance and human rights.

Rural Development
In Ghana, Nestlé is faced with a number of challenges in securing a reliable supply of cocoa, ranging from a decline in the quality of cocoa plants and the limited appeal of agricultural work to the younger generation.

To address these issues, the company has committed to help Ghanaian farmers run profitable farms and improve their lives through the Nestlé Cocoa Plan.

The Plan is implemented globally in cocoa growing communities where Nestlé sources cocoa for its confectionary brands like KitKat. It aims to increase cocoa farms' profitability, secure high-quality cocoa for the business, and address issues like gender inequality and poor social conditions.

Nestlé works in close collaboration with agro-partners Source Trust (a non-profit of Ecom Trading, formerly Armajaro), to train farmers on sustainable agricultural practices, and improve access to education for children. Farmers are also given Gender Awareness training.

Farmers who are part of the Plan receive premiums for investing in sustainable and traceable cocoa production. 6,684 farmers have been trained through the Nestlé Cocoa Plan, as at end of 2015.

Nestlé sources UTZ certified cocoa from these communities. By buying only certified cocoa, Nestlé helps to promote sustainable production of traceable cocoa. This means that along the production chain, we can trace the cocoa beans to the exact farmer community.

Through Farm audits, Farmers obtain certification, based on their performance in record keeping, management and use of the appropriate labour, and good environmental practices.

In many Cocoa growing areas, there is no or little access to potable drinking water. Through a joint partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross, Nestlé will be building boreholes and assisting some selected cocoa growing communities.

Already, through Ecoms/Source Trust, Nestlé has built 8 boreholes in cocoa growing areas in the Eastern and Ashanti Regions.

To support education, Nestlé has built three schools in Mankraso, Antoakrom and Akim Oda in the Eastern and Ashanti Regions.

The establishment of the school means that now children in the community do not have to travel long distances to nearby communities.

Nestlé has also built four Village Resource Centres in Suhum, Nkawkaw and Akim Oda in the Eastern Region. Pupils in these communities have access to Information & Communication Technology training.

Through the Nestlé Grains Quality Improvement Project, Nestlé sources locally grains from the three Northern Regions and some parts of Brong Ahafo and Eastern Regions.

One of the priorities of the Nestlé Grains Quality Improvement Project (NGQIP) is to reduce the high levels of mycotoxins in cereals, dried fruits and nuts sourced from Central and West Africa.

NGQIP is a programme designed to help farmers produce quality raw materials which can be purchased by Nestlé for its Central and West African regional factories.

The programme also helps farmers produce better quality grain which can generate higher revenue for them and thereby improve their livelihood. The training focuses on the best practices necessary for growing quality grains, harvesting, packaging and storage.

Through the Grains Quality Improvement Project, Nestlé sources locally grains used for production.

Environmental Sustainability
In Ghana, Nestlé works in close collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation to ensure that continuous implementation of its best in class manufacturing and waste disposal processes.