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Making every drop count
Every drop counts
Making products at our manufacturing facility does require water. But in 2011 and years prior, we’ve looked for new ways to use less and still meet regulatory requirements for cleaning and sanitation. Both account for much of our water use.
- Our water usage in 2011 was 4.3 cubic meters per metric ton of product made
"The goal at Tom’s of Maine is to cut water usage by one quarter by 2015."
—Julie Sprague
Tom's of Maine Quality Manager -
Water and our work
Water and our work at Tom's
Maine sparkles with beautiful lakes and rivers. They inspire us to pay close attention to our relationship with water and how our specific work affects this precious resource. Water usage at Tom’s of Maine is defined as every drop that comes into our manufacturing facility including the bathrooms:
- We tried a Clean-in-Place system for our manufacturing equipment that recirculates water during a cleaning cycle to reduce overall water usage. But this was not as effective as we had hoped
- Efforts to incorporate this and other water conservation measures into our manufacturing continue
We’ve shared your support for clean water since our very first product arrived in 1970.
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Protecting Waterways
Supporting and protecting
waterwaysClean rivers and waterways provide nearly half of the drinking water that comes from surface water in the U.S. They are also places of recreation that so many of us love! That’s why work continues to keep them clean
and preserved:- In a push to protect our nation’s rivers, Tom’s of Maine invested $1 million from 2007-2011
- Funding expanded the work of River Network and American Rivers, the two largest nonprofit river organizations in the U.S.
- Funding also engaged more than 100,000 volunteers over the last four years
- Since 2007, Tom’s of Maine sponsored the River Network Heroes Awards to recognize individuals making an extraordinary difference in their community
"Thank you Tom’s of Maine for your generous leadership and encouragement of the people working to keep America’s waterways clean."
—Beth Stewart
2011 National River Hero
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Progress snapshot
Progress snapshot
Looking ahead, our primary goal is to continue to find ways to make cleaning at our manufacturing facility more efficient. We’re discovering more innovative ways to recirculate water for cleaning purposes while still meeting government standards. It’s a costly process but an investment we’re making for the
greater good.Another water reduction project in the works for 2012 at our manufacturing facility is to have all bulk liquids use separate piping loops. This will reduce water use needed to clean each time we switch materials. By 2020, we expect to have an annual water use goal of 2.5 cubic meters per metric ton of product made.
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Goals tracker
Water goals tracker
Our Goal: Reduce overall water consumption in our Sanford, ME manufacturing facility
