The financial and ecological costs of traditional electricity these days made CCS relook our operation to trim costs and turn a greener leaf.
The consistency of electricity supply is also an issue for us since we rely on refrigeration 24/7. So we decided to be proactive and start addressing any inefficiencies, implementing alternative solutions, embracing new technology, and creating a culture that planned and behaved responsibly in terms of power consumption.
The Environmental Management System at CCS allows us to measure and manage consumption against industry benchmarks and targets. The aim is to reduce energy consumption and save costs. The solar installation at our Paarden Eiland facility, for example, delivered a saving of over 30% within the first few months. And with even more electricity hikes planned for the near future this saving is going to keep on growing. This investment in solar energy is being rolled out across some of our other facilities.
We’ve also invested in a system that monitors cold room temperatures and electricity usage in real time. It senses if maximum electrical demand is about to be exceeded and optimises usage to be more efficient.
Another successful strategy we’ve implemented is the behavioural change of staff. This includes targeting user discipline and plant operation, which has reduced energy consumption by more than 34%.
When Cape Town was faced with severe water shortages, CCS looked at alternative sources of water supply and treatment. Potable municipal water use was reduced by an average of 49% which equates to the water use of 4 000 households. We have also started using water from defrosting cycles and underground water as an alternative to municipal drinking water. Further projects planned for 2022 and 2023 are a desalination plant at the Namibia facility to reduce the dependency on freshwater resources; and harvesting rainwater. We also invested in flow limitation devices to reduce waste.
Tracking and managing waste is also part of our environmental management initiatives. By separating waste streams and optimising recycling we significantly reduce landfill. Hazardous waste such as oils are also sent for recycling and over R1 million was invested in replacing equipment using conventional compressor oil with equipment that use environmentally-friendly oils.
