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Nestlé Waters targets positive water impact by regenerating local water cycles
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Monday, 05 July, 2021, 15 : 00 PM [IST]
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Vevey, Switzerland
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Nestlé Waters will expand its current efforts to manage water sustainably and increase its collaboration with partners to identify and support local solutions. These solutions are designed to help regenerate the ecosystems in the areas around each of Nestlé Waters' 48 sites. As of 2025, they will help nature retain more water than the business uses in its operations.
The new initiative builds on the company's 2017 commitment to certify all of its Waters sites by the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) by 2025. This standard requires water users to understand and act collectively on water challenges.
The company will now use its expertise to advance the regeneration of local water cycles through the implementation of more than 100 projects for its 48 sites by 2025. These new, measurable actions will support better water management and infrastructure.
Some project examples include:
- Buxton – Land conservation (protecting land from development) and natural flood management interventions in Derbyshire, UK
- Vittel – River restoration and renaturation projects in Vosges, France
- Nestlé Pure Life – Support for farmers to use drip irrigation in Sheikhupura, Pakistan
- Nestlé Pure Life – The delivery of water treatment, filtration and pipeline infrastructure for the municipal water supply in Benha, Egypt
The company will invest CHF 120 million ($130 million) to assist the implementation of the more than 100 projects.
Muriel Lienau, head of the Waters Business, said, "Today, we are accelerating our journey to support the regeneration of local water cycles and are challenging ourselves to take bold new steps. We want to play an active role in helping to conserve water resources everywhere we operate. To do so, we will work with many partners to develop tailored projects that help find local solutions."
Climate change, higher water consumption, growing urbanisation and damaged infrastructure are some of the factors contributing to the deterioration of the natural water cycle. These trends are interfering with the predictability of precipitation and the availability of clean water. Additionally, rising temperatures and more extreme weather patterns are causing more flooding and droughts.
Cédric Egger, head of sustainability at Nestlé Waters, said, "As a business with a long heritage of nature protection and water stewardship, we want to go beyond the conservation of water sources to help regenerate and restore water cycles in the areas where we operate. We know the water challenge is global, but it can only be tackled through local solutions. Now is the time to expand the scope of our actions. With Nestlé's presence around the world, we can learn from our many partners and contribute to solving the water challenges in the locations near our operations."
The company work will be tailored to individual locations, needs and issues and will take a broader approach, going beyond its own operations. The company will work with local water users, communities, partners and global experts to identify, develop and progress projects specific to those challenges.
As a founding member of the 2030 Water Resources Group (2030 WRG), the company has a history of collaborating with leaders and experts from the public, private and civil society sectors to help design solutions for sustainable water management.
The company will apply its experience and learnings from the 2030 WRG as well as from its many other partnerships in the implementation of the more than 100 water projects outlined above.
All projects will be measurable, using the World Resources Institute's Volumetric Water Benefit Accounting (VWBA) methodology. This methodology provides consistency in analysing water management activities and helps to ensure that such activities address current and future shared water challenges.
Using this methodology, a newly created external panel will review the relevance and sustainability of the projects and give feedback on whether they are helping to address the local challenges and opportunities. The company will provide full transparency on the water usage at each of its sites and on what its projects contribute to the area.
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