FEATURE
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
• Increased communication to managers, all staff, and customers.
• Contacted landlords, requesting their collaboration and assistance.
• Ensured that each of its stores are able to operate if the taps are turned off.
Woolworths Kirsten Hewitt from Woolworths said the pending Day Zero will have an impact on operations in the Western Cape and they expect that it may impact staff availability, product availability, and store operations.“ We have very clearly defined plans in place to continue operations in our stores, distribution centres, and head office. We are also actively working with our suppliers to assist them in finding solutions so that we can continue to meet our commitments to our customers. We have installed water tanks at our Western Cape stores, distribution centres, and our head office to ensure uninterrupted water supply in the event of Day Zero. We are investigating alternative water source options such as investing in a desalination solution and alternative water sources outside of the Western Cape,” she said.
Hewitt further added that Woolworths’ first priority is their staff.“ All our staff will be provided with drinking water while at work and water for ablutions across stores, head office, and in the distribution centres. We also aim to provide each of our employees in the Western Cape with
John Ackermann
Water collected from defrost drains could be used for misting systems that cool fresh produce.
water to take home to their families every day,” added Hewitt.
Hewitt said that Woolworths had already done a significant amount of work on water conservation efforts, as illustrated in the below initiatives:
• At our head office, we are tapping into an underground water supply, saving the local municipality. Currently, 57 % of our head office water comes from this source.
• We have installed water pulse meters in 90 % of South African stores to accurately monitor water usage. This has allowed us to pick up underground leaks and prevent unnecessary water wastage. Our relative water consumption across stores has dropped by 56 % from our 2007 benchmark.
We are implementing rainwater harvesting and re-use systems at our water-thirsty distribution centres across the country. This means that we are reducing our reliance on precious treated water for activities like tray and floor washing as well as toilet flushing.
We are helping farmers reduce water wastage and water pollution through our Farming for the Future Initiative— 95 %( 259) of our primary produce suppliers and 87 of our secondary suppliers are participating.
Through the WWF-SA’ s Water Balance Project, we continue to work extensively in clearing alien vegetation that is estimated to capture up to 7 % of South Africa’ s already scarce water resources. By doing this, we are able to protect our important water resource areas.
THE INDUSTRY IS COMMITTED
Amanda Stops, chief executive officer for the SACSC, said that the above provided an indication of what just a few of the role players in the shopping centre industry have implemented to deal with the current water situation in Cape Town.“ From the many initiatives detailed, one can see that this is a priority for the shopping centre industry— a situation that has been taken very seriously. The industry is committed to collaborating with all stakeholders and finding solutions in order to continue to provide safe, comfortable shopping environments,” she said. CLA
44 www. coldlinkafrica. co. za COLD LINK AFRICA • March | April 2018