Nestlé Waters expands its present efforts to handle water sustainably
Nestlé Waters aims to have a positive impact on water by regenerating local water cycles
Nestlé water will expand its current sustainable water management efforts and work 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 locations. From 2025 onwards, they will help nature store more water than the company uses to run its business.
The new initiative builds on the company’s 2017 commitment to certify all of its Waters locations through the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) by 2025. This standard requires that water users understand the water challenges and act together.
Nestlé will now use its expertise to promote the regeneration of local water cycles through the implementation of more than 100 projects at its 48 locations by 2025. These new, measurable measures will support better water management and infrastructure. Some project examples are:
Buxton – Land Conservation (protecting land from development) and natural flood defenses in Derbyshire, UK,
Vittel – river restoration and renaturation projects in the Vosges, France
Nestlé Pure Life – Drip Irrigation Support for Farmers in Sheikhupura, Pakistan
Nestlé Pure Life – supply of water treatment, filter and pipeline infrastructure for municipal water supply in Benha, Egypt
Nestlé will invest CHF 120 million / € 93.9 million to support the implementation of the more than 100 projects.
“Today we are accelerating our path to support the regeneration of local water cycles and are challenging ourselves to take bold new steps,” said Muriel Lienau, Head of the Water Division. “We want to make an active contribution to conserving water resources wherever we are. To this end, we will develop tailor-made projects with many partners that will help find local solutions. “
Climate change, increased water consumption, increasing urbanization and damaged infrastructure are some of the factors that contribute to the deterioration of the natural water cycle. These trends affect the predictability of rainfall and the availability of clean water. In addition, rising temperatures and more extreme weather patterns lead to more floods and droughts.
“As a company with a long tradition in nature conservation and water management, we want to go beyond preserving water sources to regenerate and restore water cycles in the areas in which we operate,” said Cédric Egger, Head of Sustainability at Nestlé Waters .
“We know the water challenge is global, but it can only be addressed through local solutions. Now is the time to expand our room for maneuver. With Nestlé’s global presence, we can learn from our many partners and help solve the water challenges at locations near our operations. “
Nestlé’s work will be tailored to each location, need and problem, and will take a broader approach that goes beyond its own business. The company will work with local water users, communities, partners and global experts to identify, develop and drive specific projects to address these challenges.
As a founding member of the 2030 Water Resources Group (2030 WRG), Nestlé has always worked with executives and experts from the public, private and civil society sectors to develop solutions for sustainable water management.
The company will bring its experience and knowledge from WRG 2030 and many other partnerships into the implementation of the more than 100 water projects described above.
All projects will be measurable using the World Resources Institute’s Volumetric Water Benefit Accounting (VWBA) methodology. This methodology ensures consistency in the analysis of water management activities and helps those activities address current and future common water challenges.
Using this methodology, a newly created external committee will review the relevance and sustainability of the projects and provide feedback on whether they contribute to overcoming the local challenges and opportunities. Nestlé Waters will make the water consumption at each of its locations and the contribution of its projects to this area fully transparent.
