Water usage
Although HP's operations are not water intensive, we recognize that water consumption is a growing concern globally. The availability and quality of water are key issues for communities and businesses alike.
To enhance our understanding of the issue and help provide a clearer picture of corporate water use, we participate in the Carbon Disclosure Project's water disclosure initiative. We are also exploring the use of tools designed to help us develop a clearer picture of the overlap between HP's operations and areas of water scarcity worldwide. This information will help us identify facilities where water scarcity is an issue, and guide our decisions that influence water use.
Our original water goal, to reduce water use by 5% from 2007 levels by 2010, is not appropriate following the integration of 465 facilities that we acquired as part of EDS (now HP Enterprise Services) in 2009. This, and subsequent acquisitions in 2010, have created an opportunity for us to reassess our water consumption and regional impact in 2011. We aim to increase the accuracy and breadth of our water data collection, improve our understanding of water-related impacts and opportunities, and continue our water conservation practices. We also plan to use 2011 to assess new ways to meaningfully reduce our impact and incorporate these into our plans for 2012.
In 2010, we used nearly 8.2 billion liters of water worldwide, predominantly for domestic use in buildings, cooling, and landscape irrigation. Although we are consolidating our operations into fewer buildings, water use grew by about 7%, for several reasons. The number of our facilities that use water for cooling (such as data centers) is growing, while our employee base—closely associated with water use—has also increased by 7% compared with 2009. We believe the increase is also in part due to our improved data collection processes compared with the previous year.
Water-saving activities are ongoing at our operations worldwide. In Boise, Idaho, for example, we saved nearly 20 million liters of water by switching to closed-loop water cooling for an environmental test chamber. This builds on our previous success in reducing the site's groundwater use by using water from on-site ponds for irrigation.
At our Forest Hill facility in Melbourne, Australia, we installed water-saving features such as sensor taps in all toilet facilities; planted native, drought-tolerant plants on-site; and set up a rainwater storage tank to feed garden watering systems. We also made books on water conservation and water flow meters available for employees to borrow, and gave staff the chance to win their own rainwater storage barrel. The local government of the city of Whitehorse selected HP for a 2010 Sustainable Business Award, in recognition of these activities and others.
See performance data, including regional breakdown, in the data dashboard.
Wastewater
Wastewater is not a significant environmental issue for HP operations.
HP water use that is for domestic purposes is discharged under local regulations and goes to local treatment facilities.
In 2010, we generated 1.2 billion liters of manufacturing wastewater from seven HP facilities. These effluents are discharged under a permit, and treated at a locally owned and operated treatment plant. We have procedures in place designed to prevent unauthorized discharges of chemicals to wastewater systems, and ensure we do not discharge wastewater directly from HP operations to surface water or groundwater.
See performance data, including regional breakdown, in the data dashboard.