Costco Wholesale Corp.

Costco Wholesale Corporation is a U.S.-based membership warehouse retailer headquartered in Issaquah, Washington. It runs warehouses, online stores, food courts, gas stations, car washes, distribution centers, and some supply operations. Since Costco's sites include large stores, landscaping, refrigeration, food prep, car washes, and poultry processing, managing water use is important for efficiency and local water risks. However, its water dependency is very low in terms of resource management.

Costco Wholesale Corporation uses water sustainably in its operations through its intensive cost-control and water-saving policies. The company has integrated water-saving technologies to monitor and control the usage of water in its warehouses, food courts, car washes, landscaping, and poultry processing plants. For instance, Costco Wholesale Corporation has employed water meters to monitor its warehouse and detect leaks and spikes in water usage. Notably, the corporation sustains its irrigation processes using water recycling technologies. It has also invested in weather-resistant plants, efficient irrigation systems, and water fixtures to reduce its water usage. Besides, the company has implemented water reusing initiatives such as reusing water in its processing plants, irrigation, and car washes. For instance, Costco's Lincoln Premium Poultry processing plant in Fremont, Nebraska, was designed to conserve, recycle, and treat water. The facility uses an advanced air-chilling system to chill its poultry products instead of the conventional water-chilling systems. As a result, the company achieves water sustainability while minimizing the contamination risks and the amount of water it uses to treat and processes its products.

Costco Wholesale Corporation has initiated various water-saving technologies and strategies in its warehouses to ensure water sustainability in its operations. For instance, the company has reduced water usage in its Food Court by 45% after installing 385 high-efficiency dishwashers in the U.S. The dishwashers use 197 gallons of water less than the standard dishwashers in the food service industry. In Mexico, Costco's 23 stores treat and recycle water from its bathrooms and fresh food courtyards to use in its irrigation processes. In Australia, the corporation uses rainwater harvested from its rooftops for its sanitation, cooling systems, and irrigation. In Los Angeles, Costco uses rainwater and condensation from its refrigerators in its irrigation systems. Finally, Costco's Kisarazu office in Japan can store 27,000 gallons of water in its underground storage.