SÃO PAULO — JBS Australia continues to roll out pioneering water saving initiatives at its Rockhampton plant, which are being recognized globally by the JBS Group for their innovation and effectiveness.

“The team at our Rockhampton plant have made a conscious and proactive effort over the last decade to change the way they work and use water,” said Brent Eastwood, chief executive officer of JBS Australia. “This cultural change has resulted in material water savings at the site, demonstrating our shared commitment to sustaining our invaluable water resources, and has also been recognized by our global company as one of the best in the world.”

In 2022, the Rockhampton meat processing facility installed automated water sensors as part of the company’s global commitment to reduce its water consumption by 15% by 2025. Since the sensors were installed, the plant has saved a total of 50kL of water per day — the equivalent of 14 Olympic swimming pools saved each year.

Another initiative pioneered at Rockhampton was the development of a dual knife sterilizer system. This system hosts a dual compartment containing sterile water that continuously flows from one decontamination unit to another. This system efficiently uses overflow water and saves 5kL of water daily. With heating only required for one sterilizer unit rather than two, the system also saves energy and emissions.

Other initiatives rolled out at Rockhampton include recycling and reuse of water in areas where it is safe to do so, water pressure reduction and improved cleaning efficiencies through dry-cleaning and a focus on minimizing water waste.

More recently, meters were installed at seven standard points at the Rockhampton site as part of a rollout at nine JBS Australia red meat processing facilities. JBS Australia is using benchmark data obtained from these meters to review opportunities for further water consumption reduction.

JBS Australia invested $2 million in water measurement and innovation in 2022 to complete the metering project and others.

The company noted that it shares its initiatives and water savings with the Australian Meat Processor Corp. to help build industry knowledge.

Established in 1965, the Rockhampton plant currently employs over 500 people and produces a range of grass-fed beef products for Australian and international customers.