SMMEs building resilience through investment in water saving interventions

This case study examines how BG Servers, a drum reconditioning SMME based in Cape Town, built water resilience over a 12-year period through investments in rainwater harvesting, groundwater abstraction, and water efficiency measures.

• BG Servers significantly reduced its reliance on municipal water, decreasing annual consumption from approximately 2,300 kl in 2009 to less than 70 kl in 2021, representing a 97% reduction.
• The company achieved these reductions by implementing a diversified water sourcing strategy: installing a rainwater harvesting system in 2008 and a borehole for groundwater abstraction in 2011. Municipal water is now primarily reserved for domestic use, while process operations rely on rainwater and groundwater.
• Water resilience investments yielded substantial financial savings. Between 2011 and 2021, BG Servers saved approximately R740,000 on its municipal account, with R530,000 attributed to the borehole and R210,000 to rainwater harvesting.
• Beyond water sourcing, the company implemented efficiency and environmental measures, including retrofitting toilets for non-potable water in 2017, installing a vacuum residue system in 2017 to reduce cleaning water, and deploying a 24kW solar PV plant.
• The City of Cape Town recognized the company's efforts through its water star rating certification, awarding BG Servers a 4-star rating in 2018 and a 5-star rating in 2022.

APA

GreenCape (n.d.). SMMEs building resilience through investment in water saving interventions. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CoCT-case-study_Water_SMMEs-building-resilience-through-investment-in-water-saving-interventions_Nov22.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. SMMEs building resilience through investment in water saving interventions. n.d. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CoCT-case-study_Water_SMMEs-building-resilience-through-investment-in-water-saving-interventions_Nov22.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=SMMEs building resilience through investment in water saving interventions |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CoCT-case-study_Water_SMMEs-building-resilience-through-investment-in-water-saving-interventions_Nov22.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencapendsmmes, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{SMMEs building resilience through investment in water saving interventions}}, institution = {GreenCape}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/CoCT-case-study_Water_SMMEs-building-resilience-through-investment-in-water-saving-interventions_Nov22.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }