Creating and Implementing a Water-Conservation Plan

If you have only one business location to worry about, creating and implementing a water-conservation plan can be a relatively simple task. After all, you’re only responsible for upgrading the water equipment and educating the staff at a single site. But what if you’re managing the operations for multiple locations of water-intensive businesses like restaurants or supermarkets? Putting together a water-conservation plan for numerous sites that may be spread across a region or throughout the country has many challenges—but carries the promise of big rewards for both you and your organization. That’s why having a partner like Taper is so important to your success.

Before we get into how Taper can help you roll out a water-conservation initiative across multiple locations, let’s look at why extending that initiative throughout your regional or national footprint can have several benefits.

• Maximizing your cost savings: If a water-efficiency upgrade will save X dollars on the water, sewer, and energy bills at one location, you can multiply those savings by the number of sites under your control. You may be able to save even more money overall by taking advantage of economies of scale in the purchase and installation of water-saving equipment.
• Following CSR and ESG Guidelines: If you’re responsible for multiple locations of a nationwide supermarket or restaurant chain, your parent company more than likely integrates corporate social responsibility (CSR) that includes sustainability practices such as water conservation. Implementing a water-efficiency initiative across all the parent’s properties will enable it to meet its CSR goals while improving its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) rating, which serves as a barometer for socially conscious investors.
• Recognizing your efforts: Government agencies and nonprofit organizations recognize businesses for their success in conserving water, thereby creating great public relations. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program recently spotlighted Arby’s for reducing water use by 107 million gallons over six years, and the EPA’s Energy Star program saluted Shari’s Café & Pies for combining water and energy savings. Manomet awarded Grocery Stewardship Certification to 45 Whole Foods supermarkets in Northern California for, among other things, saving 18 million gallons of water per year.
• Keeping up with your peers: In a number of states, associations representing the restaurant and supermarket industries have adopted member guidelines that include water-conservation measures. For example, water conservation is a key element of the Green Guidelines that the Massachusetts Food Association and New Jersey Food Council recommend their members follow.
• Attracting customers and employees: According to a study published in an international hospitality journal, diners are more likely to visit restaurants they consider green and are willing spend more for their meals there. In addition, employees prefer working for businesses with good environmental practices; more than a third of respondents claimed that they work harder because of their employer’s sustainability agenda.

Our team of water-efficiency experts can map out a plan that will roll all your sites—whether they’re across the state or throughout the country—into a single package. Using a turnkey approach that manages all aspects of the project from sourcing to installation to rebates, Taper will help your sites become more profitable and sustainable. Contact us today!