The Coca-Cola Company and its global bottling partners (the Coca-Cola system) have met their goal to replenish or balance the equivalent amount of water used in their global sales volume back to nature and communities.
Based on this achievement, Coca-Cola says it is the first Fortune 500 company to publicly claim achieving such an aggressive water replenishment target.
The Coca-Cola system also announced progress against its water efficiency goal.
The company and its bottling partners improved water use efficiency by 2.5% from 2014 to 2015, adding to a cumulative 27% improvement since 2004.
Based on a global water use assessment validated by LimnoTech and Deloitte, and conducted in association with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Coca-Cola system returned an estimated 191.9 billion liters of water to nature and communities in 2015 through community water projects, equaling the equivalent of 115% of the water used in Coca-Cola’s beverages last year.
“A goal that started as aspiration in 2007 is today a reality and a global milestone we plan to maintain as our business grows,” said Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company.
“Now, every time a consumer drinks a Coca-Cola product, they can have confidence that our company and bottling partners are committed to responsible water use today and tomorrow.”
“We are keenly aware that our water stewardship work is unfinished and remain focused on exploring next steps to advance our water programs and performance.”
Water projects
The Coca-Cola system has achieved its water replenishment goals through 248 community water partnership projects in 71 countries focused on safe water access, watershed protection and water for productive use.
In many cases, projects also provide access to sanitation and education, help improve local livelihoods, assist communities with adapting to climate change, improve water quality, enhance biodiversity, engage on policy and build awareness on water issues.
The program aspects mentioned in the preceding sentence do not contribute to Coca-Cola’s replenish volume.
Replenish performance is independently reviewed by LimnoTech and verified by Deloitte.
That work is reflected in a 1,188 page report.
The methodology for calculating water replenishment benefits was created in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy and LimnoTech.
It was the subject of scientific technical peer review to verify its accuracy, and uses generally accepted scientific and technical methods.
Projects are reviewed annually and evaluated using this methodology.
Some replenish projects directly return water to the source the company uses while others are outside the watershed its plant uses but are important to help meet needs of local governments, communities and partners where there is a pressing need.
Coca-Cola’s replenishment strategy supports the company’s overall water goal to safely return to communities and nature an amount of water equal to what is used in its beverages and their production.
On the production side, the Coca-Cola system returned approximately 145.8 billion liters of water used in its manufacturing processes back to local watersheds near its bottling plants through treated wastewater in 2015.
The company collaborates on replenish projects with governments, civil society and other members of the private sector.
Some of the many organizations Coca-Cola partners with include Global Environment & Technology Foundation, Millennium Challenge Corporation, TNC, United Nations Development Programme, UN-Habitat, United States Agency for International Development, WaterAid, Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor, Water for People, WWF, and World Vision.
