Case Studies: Happisburgh + Walkers Crisps

Happisburgh:

• Population of approximately 850.
• It is one of the fastest eroding areas in the world.
• 1958 with revetments which reduced the amount of erosion to about 50 cm a year
• In 1995 the council stopped repairing the coastal defences - the rate of erosion accelerated.
• Since then, 25 properties and the village's life boat launching station are gone.
  
• The houses were worth £80,000 when the coast was defended - now valued at £1.
  
• The government has refused to protect Happisburgh because it is less valuable than the cost of the defences to protect it.
• Happisburgh's timber revetmentswere constructed in 1959 as a protection measure put in place following the 1953 East Coast floods.
• There are 17 listed buildings + Grade 1 listed church which is 60m from the clif.f
  
• The cost of sea defences is approximately £4m for 500m.
• The district council defended the area in 2007 - 5000 tonnes of granite rip-rap - £200,000.
• The local villagers raised another £40,000 - bought another 1000 tonnes of rock.

Case study - Walkers Crisps in Leicester

Walkers Crisps has reduced its use of water by 50% - saving 700 million litres of water a year.

• They installed 30 water meters at their production plants, allowing them to see where they were using most water.
• They then implamented engineering solutions such as recycling water from the starch recovery programme for use in another part of the production process.
• They also re-educated their staff about the use of water in the sanitation facilities.
• Water usage is now monitored each shift. The best performing teams over a period of time are rewarded by the company.

Overall, water consumption has dropped at both Leicester sites. In Bursom it has dropped from 17.67 litres to 9.24 litres per kilogram of potatoes processed, and in Leycroft 13.65 litres to 6.38 litres.