Ecolab, leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies, has released its 2018 corporate sustainability report, ‘Accelerating Meaningful Change’, which highlights its work with leading companies throughout the world to reduce environmental impact and drive cost savings. The 2018 publication is Ecolab’s 12th annual corporate sustainability report.

“Whether it’s saving water or reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions, there’s a growing realisation that these priorities go hand-in-hand with business growth and profitability,” said Ecolab chairman and CEO Douglas M. Baker, Jr. “By the nature of our work, we help companies achieve their operational and sustainability goals.”

In 2018, Ecolab helped companies at nearly three million locations around the world:

• Conserve more than 188 billion gallons of water, equivalent to the annual drinking needs of 650 million people. Ecolab is ahead of schedule toward reaching its 2030 goal of saving 300 billion gallons of water, equal to the needs of one billion people.
• Save 19 trillion British thermal units (BTUs) of energy
• Avoid 2.4 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions
• Eliminate 54 million pounds of waste

Case studies included in Ecolab’s 2018 corporate sustainability report include:

• Developing a sustainable process to drive water management improvements across the global operations of Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), one of the world’s largest food and agriculture companies. Using 3D TRASAR™ Cooling Water Technology, ADM achieved water savings of 2.3 billion gallons annually.
• Min imising the risk of Legionella bacteria in the water systems of SAP, a leader in the software industry and in water safety management practices, and helping to avoid approximately $8 million in potential revenue loss per year.
• Reducing corrosion and foaming issues within the operations of Energias do Brasil (EDP), one of Brazil’s largest electric utility companies, using Ecolab’s Purate™ Technology to help save 316 million gallons of water per year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 18.9 million pounds annually.
• Within its own operations, Ecolab is working to reduce water withdrawals by 25 per cent and greenhouse gas emissions by 10 per cent by 2020.

Through its work with customers and within its own facilities, and through a number of dedicated projects in communities around the world, Ecolab supports the UN’s sustainable development goal six, promoting clean water and sanitation. By 2030, Ecolab aims to conserve 300 billion gallons of water per year by reducing consumption in its own operations and those of its customers. This would be equivalent to the annual drinking water needs of more than one billion people.

Ecolab’s 2018 Corporate Sustainability Report was developed in alignment with the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) G4 core guidelines. The report summary is available on Ecolab’s website.