Waterscan director, Claire Yeates, said: “There are three clear drivers for action. Firstly there’s the need for stringent cost management at a time of potentially prolonged economic uncertainty. Water is often seen as a largely insignificant figure on the P&L but sound water management can have both a fast and long-term positive impact on the bottom line.

"The second driver is ensuring compliance within the regulatory framework of the Water Act and associated environmental legislation and targets. Finally,there’s the imminent shake-up of the water market which will see water supply becoming a competitive retail market in April 2017."

Whilst water consumption is relatively low in logistics compared to some other sectors, usage is still considerable when freight and vehicle washing is taken into consideration along with washroom, catering and cleaning operations across multiple warehouse, distribution hub and office sites.

Savings can be made in a number of ways, tailored to the organisation concerned and, as there’s no risk to operational continuity, the options are worth exploring. Solutions typically include leak detection and correction, validation of surface water drainage charges and the identification and resolution of billing inaccuracies. There’s even help available with the procurement process in the context of the new open market framework.

Significant savings in water consumption can be made from re-use initiatives too.