Old Mutual's new water treatment system 'a model for future generations'

One of South Africa’s biggest corporations has raised the bar - and municipal water levels - by installing its own mass water filtration system so it can go off the “water grid”.

Old Mutual unveiled its wastewater-to-drinking-water filtration system at its Mutual Park premises in Pinelands‚ Cape Town‚ on Monday.

It is already harvesting 650 cubic litres of clean water per day by purifying waste water‚ primarily from sewage. Over a month‚ the plant will be saving the City of Cape Town up to 15‚000 kilolitres of water.

Old Mutual’s Chief Operating officer Iain Williamson said it was not only a “milestone event” for the company but for the city too. With approximately 9‚000 people operating on their campus each day‚ last year the company “recognized the need to reduce its dependency on the municipal water supply”.

It is the first large corporation in the country to go off the water grid and those at the helm are hoping to set an example for other corporates.

“We have set the benchmark - this is a model for future generations‚” said Williamson.

Although it was unveiled on Monday‚ a pilot phase has been operating for the past six weeks. The water has proven to be even of a “superior quality” to the municipal supply‚ said Williamson‚ who explained that the company wanted to embed their principles of sustainability “into our day-to-day operations”.

Even before the plant was conceived and built‚ people on the campus had reduced their water use by 30%.

Williamson said the water had been switched off “for some time” and with the filtration system now operating‚ it was “great to have fully clean and pressurised toilets functioning in the building again.”

Old Mutual partnered with the City of Cape Town and PCM Consulting to get the project off the ground. The 10-step filtration system is functioning on site.

Sarah Rushmere‚ who heads up stakeholder engagement for the Water and Sanitation Department for the city‚ said Old Mutual was already exemplary in being “an energy-efficient campus” even before “the water crisis came”.

She said that the company responded to that crisis not just by building the filtration system but also by inspiring and informing staff on sustainability.

“Climate change and variability are here to stay‚” she said‚ encouraging all corporations to engage in the city’s “star-rating” process‚ which measures its water stewardship functions.

Rushmere said it was also important to remember that all interventions like Old Mutual’s were subject to legislation pertaining to water because “alternative sources of water can be dangerous if not managed properly.”

The water harvested by Old Mutual’s system is constantly tested to ensure that all is going according to plan. The whole system automatically shuts down if even a small sample proves to be below par.

Peter Moyo‚ CEO of Old Mutual‚ joked that “staff in Cape Town would no longer have to fly to Joburg to take a shower.” But on a more serious note‚ he encouraged other businesses to follow the benchmark set by Old Mutual.

“Big corporates really can make a difference‚” said Moyo.

With offices in 13 countries on the African continent‚ he said this “new journey” with the filtration system was a milestone for both Old Mutual and the City of Cape Town.

In 2016‚ the company installed one of the largest solar energy systems of any corporation in the country.

“Inclusion and sustainability” are key parts of their philosophy‚ added Moyo.