Reuse of waste and rainwater
Colruyt Group is fully committed to circular water management, both in the stores and at production sites, distribution centres and offices. By collecting rainwater and waste water as much as possible and - if necessary - treating it, we return it to the cycle and can reuse it.
By 2025 we want 50% of the total water consumption of our own activities to come from rain, snow, hail, melt water and waste water. The aim is zero discharge of rainwater into the sewers and less use of 'new' tap water (mains water)
of our total water consumption in 2021 comes from rainwater and waste water
Stores
At store level we reduce our mains water consumption by recovering rainwater for sanitary facilities and watering. This accounts for 18% of the water consumption in the stores. By using less mains water, we use less groundwater and lower our water invoice. This ensures lower costs, and is therefore useful to ensure competitive prices at our store formulas. In addition, we are now also looking at the possibilities of treating the remaining rainwater at store sites.
Production sites
Our meat processing activities at the Stroppen site and the Dassenveld distribution centre in Halle together account for about half of our total water consumption. That is why we make maximum use of treated water there.
Since 2001, we have treated the waste water from our industrial activities at Fine Food Meat Stroppen in a biological treatment plant. After treatment, the water has the quality of river water.
Since 2014, a drinking water station has taken things to a higher level: part of the treated waste water is additionally treated into drinking water - under the approving eye of quality controller De Watergroep. This treated water flows directly back to the production site, where it can be used in the production process just like mains water. The reuse means we discharge much less waste water into the sewer and waste water treatment plants can work more efficiently.
Since 2016 we also treat rainwater to drinking water at the same site. We collect it via a buffer on the roof of the buildings. Some of the water goes directly to the sanitary facilities, while another part is treated to drinking water quality at the PURA plant. The recovered rainwater has the same applications within meat processing as the treated waste water.
The treatment plants at Fine Food Meat Stroppen provide no less than:
recycled waste water in 2021
drinking water from rainwater in 2021
Distribution and office spaces
Ook bij ons distributiecentrum Dassenveld in Halle vangen we hemelwater op in buffers met een totale capaciteit van 8.600 m³. Het wordt gezuiverd door onder meer een zand- en uv-filter en nadien gebruikt voor de koelinstallaties en het sanitair.
At our Dassenveld distribution centre in Halle, we also collect rainwater in buffers with a total capacity of 8,600 m³. It is treated by, among others, a sand and UV filter and then used for cooling systems and sanitary facilities.
At the end of 2021, we also commissioned a new water treatment plant. It treats industrial and sanitary waste water for three sites in Halle: the Dassenveld distribution centre, the Wilgenveld headquarters and the Elbeek site. In addition, the plant can also use the rainwater from Dassenveld to keep the water balance in check. Later, the buildings of the nearby Hellebroek site may also be connected. With a production capacity of 11 m³ of drinking water per hour, the plant can treat 90,000 m³ of waste water into 81,000 m³ of drinking water every year. This way, we reduce the mains water consumption of these sites by 90%.
