WIREDGOV

Coca-Cola European Partners Great Britain Limited – which operates 12 sites, 6 of which are manufacturing sites – will supply its own water and wastewater services, making it the fourth company in England to be granted a licence to self-supply by economic regulator Ofwat.

Greene King, Marston’s PLC and Whitbread are the other companies which sit alongside Coca-Cola with a licence to self-supply. The four companies together serve 14,178 sites across the UK.

The business retail water market launched in April 2017 and is the largest of its kind in the world. The market allows businesses, public bodies and charities to ‘shop around’ and choose the best retailer for them, rather than having to use their local water supplier.

As well as being able to choose a different retailer, eligible businesses and organisations can also apply for a self-supply licence. This means they provide their own retail services, such as meter readings, to their own premises and those of persons associated with them. For some, this route offers significant cost savings and flexibility.

Emma Kelso, Ofwat’s Senior Director for Customers and Casework, said:

“It’s good to see Coca-Cola European Partners, the world’s largest independent Coca-Cola bottler, opting to become a self-supplier. They recognise the value of the opportunities the business retail market provides and it will be interesting to see what types of innovation and efficiencies will emerge from Coca-Cola running their water and wastewater services.”

Nick Brown, Head of Sustainability for Coca-Cola European Partners said:

“Water is the most important ingredient in all our products. We have long been committed to stewarding this precious resource in the most sustainable way and have set out ambitious goals to further reduce and replenish the water we use as part of our Sustainability Action Plan, This is Forward. The introduction of a competitive water market in England gives us a great opportunity to build closer relationships with the Water Companies. I am confident that this approach, along with our partnership with Waterscan, will help us to collaborate and innovate in the way we understand and improve our water efficiency. One of the most immediate examples of this is in the way we will move to real time metering at all our main sites to give us better information to make decisions on how we use water. We will also build stronger relationships with the market operator and Ofwat and be able to engage more in issues impacting water quality and use at our sites.”

Ofwat Press Office:

Fintan Hastings, Senior Associate – Media Relations
Tel: 0121 644 7642
Email: fintan.hastings@ofwat.gsi.gov.uk