Coca-Cola and its bottling partners are on track to meet their 2020 water replenishment goal by balancing an estimated 68 percent of the water used in their finished beverages based on 2013 sales volume.
To date, the soft drink company has replenished an estimated 108.5 billion liters of water back to communities and nature through 509 community water projects in more than 100 countries.
Coke says it has been able to achieve this success by engaging in 509 diverse, locally focused community water projects in more than 100 countries. Each project works toward set objectives such as providing or improving access to safe water and sanitation, protecting watersheds, supporting water conservation and raising awareness on critical local water issues.
In India, Coca-Cola set a goal to replenish more than 100 percent of the water it uses in its manufacturing operations nationally. To date, Coke has surpassed that objective by creating a replenishment potential of more than 130 percent of the water it uses in India through the support of projects across the country. Projects include providing safe water access and sanitation in schools, building rainwater harvesting structures, restoration of ponds, check dams and interventions focused on improving water use efficiency in agriculture. Similar projects and goals have been set across the companywide system with strong results.
Besides replenishing water back to communities to balance the system’s global sales volume, Coke says it returns the water it uses in producing its beverages back to communities and the environment through high-quality treated wastewater that supports aquatic life and meets or exceeds local regulation. The Coca-Cola system also is working to upgrade its facilities to improve water use efficiency — improved 21.4 percent from 2004 to 2012 — and implementing source water protection plans and vulnerability assessments in all facilities globally.
In 2007, The Coca-Cola Company and its bottling partners set an aspirational goal to safely return to communities and nature an amount of water equivalent to what they use in their beverages and production by 2020. Coke reaffirmed this goal in 2013 when it renewed its partnership with World Wildlife Fund.
In keeping with its broader goals around water, last month Coke and WaterHealth International (WHI) announced a plan to bring safe drinking water to one million school children in 2,000 schools in developing countries by the end of 2015.
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Founder & Principal Consultant, Hower Impact
Mike Hower is the founder of Hower Impact — a boutique consultancy delivering best-in-class strategic communication advisory and support for corporate sustainability, ESG and climate tech.
Published Jun 6, 2014 3am EDT / 12am PDT / 8am BST / 9am CEST