SPRINGDALE, ARK. – Tyson Foods Inc. announced its Finney County, Kan., beef plant’s water conservation efforts resulted in the facility being the first in the industry to be certified as part of the Alliance for Water Stewardship by meeting standards verified by SCS Global Services (SCS), a third-party certification company. The certification standards implemented indicate the plant’s successful achievement of water stewardship requirements that are measured by water governance, quality, sustainable balance, safety and sanitation.

By reducing its water intensity from 0.90 gallons per lb (of beef produced) to 0.85 gallons, the plant’s water efficiency improved by 4.8% from 2019 to 2020, while reducing water usage companywide by 7.7% since 2015.  

Dennis Jones, complex manager at the Finney County facility, said the certification is affirmation of the company’s planned efforts to conserve natural resources.

“We are proud of our work to implement water stewardship practices in Finney County and our recent certification under the Alliance for Water Stewardship standard is a true testament to our commitment of securing the future of water at the plant and in the community,” he said. “This work is extremely important and we aim to safeguard water resources for residents through our efforts and contribute to the long-term development of the local community.”

The company developed and implemented its water stewardship program after interpreting data to identify water challenges and then evaluating the results of the applied stewardship plan in terms of water efficiency and overall usage. The campaign involved working with business and community members as well as government officials to establish water conservation goals while focusing specifically on monitoring water usage, wastewater management and minimizing water pumped from the county’s aquifer to conserve it for essential community purposes.

“Making clean water available for drinking and washing is at the forefront of our safety efforts and will continue to be a priority for all Tyson locations,” the company said.

“AWS certification distinguishes Tyson Foods as a global leader in water stewardship and demonstrates its commitment to excellence in water governance and conservation,” said Rae Mindock, SCS Global Services’ program manager of water certification.