Monday 12 September 2022

BAE Systems joins forces with Water Plus to help reduce impacts on the environment and increase efficiency across its site portfolio

BAE Systems is working with the UK’s largest water retailer to install more data loggers across its sites to identify opportunities to reduce any water waste and reduce carbon emissions linked to these.

This teamwork has already delivered significant water-saving results, recently increasing efficiency by more than 300 cubic metres of water a day at one site alone. BAE Systems has also been working with Water Plus around more proactive water management initiatives including installing more than 25 extra data loggers on water meters. Another gain was also identified by one of the new data loggers installed this year (2022), increasing water efficiency by another 24 cubic metres of water a day.

The Water Plus team worked with BAE Systems to boost their water efficiency, after data loggers, which feed information into a smart online portal, tracking readings every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day, helped identify an opportunity around a site’s water use.

BAE Systems is targeting Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions across their operations by 2030*.

Tom Barton, Indirect Procurement Services, Utilities, at BAE Systems, said: “Sustainability, increasing our efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions are all part of our Net Zero ambitions as an organisation and our work with Water Plus is helping to deliver against our ambition and enabling us to improve efficiencies with the usage of the water we use on our sites. Our relationship with Water Plus in recent years has already delivered significant results and we are pleased to be working with them further to reduce our water waste and carbon emissions.

“We know that we can all do more to protect our seas and other waterways, and we are committing to greater sustainable practices, products and processes, along with taking additional steps like signing up to the United Nation’s Race to Zero campaign. The expert knowledge and support from Water Plus, along with the exploration of technology we can utilise, has been superb and we’ve increased efficiency with our water and lowered running costs, which we’ll build on further.

“As well as innovating for a net zero future for ourselves, we’re also working with governments and commercial customers to design sustainable solutions which are helping to reduce carbon emissions. Together with our suppliers, customers, researchers and technologists partners, we will innovate for a net zero future.”

Helen Murphy, Key Account Manager at Water Plus who works with BAE Systems, said: “We’re delighted to be helping BAE Systems and that our work and great relationship with them continues. We work with a variety of customers including those in the defence industry and the public sector to help them with their water operations on-site and support their environmental aims including Net Zero targets. Scope 3 emissions are those linked to water and these are not only for the water a site receives but also linked to the wastewater that’s taken away to be treated too. The data loggers have increased tracking of water, to help BAE Systems with their proactive approach, and shows how increased data can show where opportunities are.”

The BAE Systems sites with Water Plus are across England and Scotland.

Further information and notes

*The BAE Systems Net Zero target will be to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across its operations (Scope 1 and 2) by 2030 – and across its supply chain by 2050. They aim to do this by reducing their emissions as a minimum in line with the 1.5°C pathway. More information can be found on its Net Zero ambitions and the progress its’s already making on these at: www.baesystems.com/en/sustainability/environment-and-climate-change .

The water efficiency gain of 300 cubic metres of water a day at the BAE Systems site was in December 2021. The other water efficiency gain mentioned was in March 2022.

There are carbon emissions linked to each cubic metre of water and wastewater taken away from sites and treated (Government Conversion Factors are published each year on this).