Carbon and water footprint for a soft drink manufacturer in South Africa

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine a carbon and water footprint for a beverage manufacturing company. The carbon footprint etermination was conducted on Scope 1 and Scope 2. The water footprint was determined on the blue water and grey water. The beverage production volumes of the beverage manufacturing company were used to determine both the carbon and the water footprint. The theoretical background to this study was based on both local and international beverage companies and the outcome for the carbon and water footprint was benchmarked against the local and international companies. The objectives of this study were achieved by calculating a carbon and water footprint for the beverage company. The carbon footprint unit of measure is g CO2e / litre produced and the water footprint is litre water/litre produced. The unit of measure for pollutant grey water footprint is measured in milligram. Based on the results achieved in this study, commendations for carbon and water footprint reductions were made to the beverage company. Reduction targets for production year 2020 were also recommended based on the implementation of the reduction plans.