DRIP Completion Report

In 2015, the DRIP partnership was initiated, to set focus on water efficiency in the Danish food sector in response to the call for societal partnerships (INNO+) by Innovation Fund Denmark. The partnership was designed as a triple-helix interdisciplinary innovation partnership and comprised 18 partners including major water end-users from the food and beverage industry, water technology providers, and knowledge partners.

The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and the Danish EPA were associated partners. The aim of the partnership was to create effective solutions to improve water efficiency in the food industry without compromising food safety. The partnership aimed at a paradigm shift in industrial water efficiency through demonstration and implementation of water-fit-for-purpose concepts to use significantly less water of drinking water quality and increasingly use recycled and reclaimed water.

Ensuring the quality of water throughout its use is of paramount importance to secure food safety and product quality. Having Danish food and environment authorities as associated partners in the project allowed for a positive co-operation and dialogue with a focus at very early stages on important considerations regarding regulation.

The partnership management was facilitated by the Danish Agriculture and Food Council, working through a governance model consisting of a daily management team, reporting to a steering committee consisting of partner representatives. Funds were allocated to projects and activities by the steering committee in a continuous process, in which water saving projects were developed and matured in open collaborations between the participating partners.

The governance model ensured a focused prioritization of the most value-adding activities throughout the life span of the DRIP partnership. This report documents the results obtained through the DRIP partnership in the period 2015 - 2021.