As we observe World Environment Day, Massmart is celebrating the water and cost savings that have been unlocked through its water conservation efforts. The main contributor to these savings has been the use of ultrasonic water meters that enable early leak detection, which has enabled the group to avoid the loss of approximately 37.5 million litres of water since implementation in 2022. The estimated savings achieved for the calendar year ending December 2024 amounted to approximately 15 500 000 liters of water, taking the cumulative cost savings since implementation of the meters to approximately R1.8 million.
Nicole Atcheson, Massmart Environmental Sustainability Manager responsible for water conservation says, “According to the Water Research Commission, almost 40% of municipal water supplied in South Africa is lost before it reaches municipal customers, so we recognise the importance of saving as much water as possible within our own operations. Our incrementally increasing levels of water conserved, since the introduction of ultrasonic meters in 2022, equates to the equivalent of 15 million Olympic sized swimming pools.”
A further water saving effort has been the installation of the Water Hygiene Convenience (WHC) Leak-Less Valve™ in selected Builders stores. Interestingly, WHC, who developed and manufactures the Leak-Less valve is a previous participant in Massmart’s Supplier Development Programme. Atcheson says, “Focussing on managing toilet leaks sounds trivial, however, the City of Cape Town has identified toilets as the single biggest user of indoor water and we are delighted with the results of the pilot so far, where we have seen a significant reduction in average daily water consumption in the facilities where the WHC Leak-Less Valve™ has been deployed.”
Massmart’s water savings, whilst being good for the environment are an example of an extensive set of cost savings focus areas underpinning the Group’s Every Day Low Cost Cost (EDLC) culture that enables the delivery of low prices to its customers.
