Taking care of water is a challenge for us all
As
the world’s bottled water leader, Nestlé Waters has
made sustainable water use a top priority. Nestlé
Waters preserves the quality and the purity of the
water that it bottles without compromising the
balance of local ecosystems. This is the company’s
creed in all its day-to-day operations around the
world. Using this water in a responsible manner
requires rigorous practices and processes that are
now fully integrated all along the production line.
Raising awareness all around
As a responsible corporate citizen, Nestlé Waters
strives day in and day out to raise awareness among
a broad audience about the need to preserve water
resources sustainably. Young people – the future
guardians of the world’s environment and natural
resources – are a particular focus of these efforts.
Launched in the United States in 1984, Project WET (Water
Education for Teachers) is an educational and
scientific programme highlighting best water
practices. Project WET provides tools for teachers
to raise awareness among children and teenagers of
water’s vital importance and to ensure its
protection in the community. This programme is
sponsored by Nestlé Waters, who participates
actively in its international development. Via its
subsidiaries and the engagement of its employees,
Nestlé Waters enabled the launch of WET in 3 new
markets in 2005: Vietnam, Lebanon and Hungary. Today,
the programme reaches millions of school children in
approximately 25 countries around the world.
Withdrawing only what
is strictly necessary
Despite its leadership of the bottled water
sector, Nestlé Waters remains a very small consumer
of fresh water.
Total volumes withdrawn around the world represent
no more than 0.0009% of all water consumed by man.
This figure is significantly lower than quantities
used by industrial sectors and not even remotely
close to those required for agricultural irrigation,
which count for more than 70% of quantities used.
As water is an essential resource, Nestlé Waters
seeks constantly to optimise its use. Therefore, the
quantities of water withdrawn are strictly aligned
with bottling unit needs. In parallel, the company
works continuously to reduce its consumption of
water for industrial purposes and steadily improves
production systems to reduce and recycle the water
used in bottling operations. The process is bearing
fruit: the amount of water needed to produce 1 litre
of bottled water continues to fall each year by
approximately 5%.
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