This page presents all relevant good practice case studies that showcase how business have addressed the Access to water dilemma. Case studies have been developed in close collaboration with a range of multi-national companies and relevant government, inter-governmental and civil society stakeholders. We also draw on public domain sources, including the UN Global Compact's own published Communications on Progress through which signatories are required to report on their performance against the Ten Principles.
The case studies explore the specific dilemmas and challenges faced by each organisation, good practice actions they have taken to resolve them and the results of such action. We reference challenges as well as achievements and invite you to submit commentary and suggestions through the Forum.
PepsiCo’s policy on the human right to water (Global):
In March 2009, PepsiCo adopted a policy on the human right to water that guides its domestic and overseas operations. The policy commits PepsiCo “not to take any action that would undermine a state’s obligation to its citizens to protect and fulfil the human right to water”. The company has also committed to follow the principles regarding the human right to water defined by the United Nations, where a country does not have a water policy. Such principles require ensuring that the community has access to safe, sufficient, physically accessible, acceptable and affordable water. In particular, the company has undertaken to: a) improve water use efficiency by 20% per unit of production by 2015; b) strive for positive water balance in business operations in water-distressed areas; and c) provide access to safe water to three million people in developing countries.
PepsiCo’s water efficiency (Global):
In 2009, PepsiCo reportedly saved more than 12 billion litres of water through efficiency improvements within its operations, compared with the amount of water used in 2006. Globally, in 2009, PepsiCo food chains reduced water use intensity by 18%, and its beverage businesses by 16%, compared with a 2006 baseline. The company pledged to reduce water use intensity per unit of production by 20% by 2015, compared with a 2006 baseline.
PepsiCo’s improvements to reduce water use (US):
In the US, PepsiCo has initiated a number of improvements to reduce water use. In Casa Grande, Arizona, the company uses a water filtration and purification system to recycle and re-use about 80% of the process water. The company also started cleaning new Gatorade bottles in the US with purified air instead of rinsing with water. The method has reportedly been proved very efficient for both cleaning purposes and the conservation of water.
PepsiCo collaborates with NGOs to improve access to water (China/India):
PepsiCo, through PepsiCo Foundation, collaborates with different institutions, such as the Columbia University Earth Institute’s Global Water Center, Water.org, the Safe Water Network, the Energy Resources Institute (TERI) and the China Women’s Development Foundation (CWDF), in developing projects aiming to improve access to water by local communities. Such projects include installation of village water and irrigation systems, establishing water health centres, construction of rainwater harvesting cisterns, improving sanitation programmes, funding the building of purification plants and recharging aquifers in Ghana, Kenya, Brazil, China, the Philippines and India.
PepsiCo collaborates in disseminating knowledge on better water use (Global):
In 2008, the PepsiCo Foundation teamed up with Columbia University’s Earth Institute to assist local water users to increase water efficiency in their activities. The team work resulted in carrying out demonstration pilots with farmers, villages and watershed authorities to teach improved irrigation, planting and distribution systems.
Coca-Cola’s initiatives to improve access to water (Global):
Coca-Cola provides rain barrels to collect rainwater runoff and replenishes local communities’ watersheds. These initiatives can assist in reducing clean water use for agricultural use and sanitation, among other things.
Coca-Cola’s initiative to improve water efficiency (Global):
Coca-Cola reportedly works with its bottlers to improve water efficiency in bottling operations. The company also reported working with the WWF to assess the water intensity of operations in its supply chain for sugar.
Unilever assists suppliers to improve water efficiency (Brazil):
Unilever reported that it evaluated suppliers on water management and assisted them to improve water efficiency and reduce water usage. For instance, in Brazil, it worked with tomato suppliers to reduce their water use by 30% through the use of a drip irrigation system. Unilever also reports providing management expertise and equipment to assist local communities in Surabaya, Indonesia, in reducing household pollution of the river close to its local factory.
SABMiller reports on water use in its supply chain (South Africa and Czech Republic):
SABMiller, a South African brewing company, reports an estimate of water use in its supply chain. In 2008, and again in 2009, it measured the water footprints of its South African and Czech operations. This exercise revealed that the water implications of SABMiller business activities differed subject to a locality. The study found out that it takes 155 litres of water to produce one litre of beer in South Africa, whereas the water intensity of the production of one litre of beer in the Czech Republic does not exceed 45 litres. This difference was attributed mainly to climatic differences, the amount of imported crops and packaging. For instance, the use of surface water as well as water from aquifers (blue water) constituted only 6% in the Czech branch operations, as they heavily relied on flows found in soils rather than water basins. In the case of the South African operations, the use of blue water amounted to about 34% of the total water. These studies helped the company to formulate its sustainability strategy for future operations. For instance, in two regions of South Africa, which were identified as posing certain water-related risks, the company has been considering toolkits for sustainable agricultural practices and has employed agricultural extension workers to improve yield management.
Nestlé developed an internal water stress index (Global):
In its March 2007 Water Management Report, Nestlé reported developing an internal water stress index that builds on the joint national Water Poverty Index (WPI) of the World Water Council and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) and a site-level evaluation of Nestlé factories that are located in water stressed regions. The WPI scores 147 countries for their characteristics and performance in five dimensions of potential water stress: resources, access, capacity, use and environment. It is expected that this index will allow the company to improve capacity for water management on the ground.
Nestlé’s water efficiency (Global):
From 2005-2010, Nestlé Waters reduced their indirect water use (water outside of the bottle) by 34%. This was accomplished through water reuse in factories, reducing factory waste and improving the efficiency and capacity of pumps and storage units.
Nestlé Waters disseminating water education (Global):
Nestlé Waters is the largest private sponsor of the Water Education for Teachers Project (Project WET). The Project WET a non-profit organisation aimed at disseminating water education through publishing materials, providing training, organising community events and building a global network of educators, water resource professionals and scientists. The project operates in over 50 countries.
Bayer CropScience cultivates less water intensive crops (Indonesia):
One of the lighthouse projects of Bayer CropScience, a subsidiary of the Bayer Group focusing on crop protection and non-agricultural pest control, is focussed on improving rice yields, while reducing the volumes of water required for cultivation. The programme launched by Bayer CropScience in Indonesia is based on a new method of cultivation, known as direct seeding. This method is to replace the customary wet rice cultivation, by which farmers planted young plants in flooded paddies manually. In contrast, direct seeding involves the dry planting of pre-germinated rice by machine. The company claims that the new method allows greater crop yields, while saving enormous quantities of water and reducing the need for fertilizers, among other environmental advantages.
Syngenta develops varieties of corn with lower water needs (Global):
Syngenta, an agri-business company, reports developing genetically modified varieties of corn, sunflower and rice that are high temperature and drought-resistant, and thus has lower water needs. It has particularly highlighted its new product, known as Invinsa, which was developed to protect crop yield in the changing weather patterns.
Bayer MaterialScience improved wastewater treatment process (US):
Bayer MaterialScience, a subsidiary of the Bayer Group focusing on supplying high-tech polymers, has improved the wastewater treatment process in its polymer production facilities in South Charleston in the US. Reportedly, this has reduced the wastewater volume and leads to a potential annual cost reduction of US$100,000. Similarly, a new wastewater treatment plant has commenced operations at Bayer CropScience in Dormagen, Germany. The treatment of the process water allows its repeated use within technical cycles.
Intel’s water efficiency (US):
Intel, a semiconductor manufacturing company, disclosed the reduction of its daily water demand in the city of Chandler, Arizona. The water use was reduced by up to 75% on account of the use of reclaimed wastewater and recycled water.
Barrick Gold invited local communities to monitor its water use (Peru):
In 2007, Barrick Gold, a Canadian mining company, reported inviting local communities to participate in the company’s water monitoring activities at its Lagunas Norte mine in Peru. Further to this invitation, representatives of five communities joined the mine employees and environmental authorities to monitor the quality of water in the Perejil and Chuyuhual rivers near the mine. They were trained how to do water sampling and given an opportunity to take samples for analysis to a laboratory of their own choice but from a list of qualified testing facilities. To improve the transparency of the process, public monitors collected the results of the evaluation in person and received clarifications of the results – and how these matched the “acceptable standards for water quality” – from technicians. The company decided to roll this practice out to its Veladero mine in Argentina.
General Mill assists crop growers to increase water efficiency (Global):
General Mill’s Green Giant division reportedly collaborates with growers to reduce water consumption and the use of chemical fertilisers for key crops. For instance, the company reported assisting suppliers to move from furrow to drip irrigation in growing crops, which has resulted in a reduction of water use by almost 1.2 billion gallons a year.
Companies report on water efficiency and water impacts (Global):
A number of companies have to a certain extent improved transparency of information on water impacts of their operations, as well as water use/wastewater discharge targets they are planning to achieve in future. For instance, in 2009, Alcoa, a mining company, disclosed a wastewater reduction goal of zero process water discharges by 2020. In 2009, Diageo, a beverage company, reported differentiated reduction targets with regard to water use for facilities in water-stressed versus non-stressed regions in the world. The company also disclosed data by the source of withdrawals (municipal, ground or surface water) and destination of discharge. In 2009, DuPont disclosed an absolute reduction target for water use – a 10-year goal to reduce water consumption by 30% at facilities in water-stressed regions. Mitsui Chemicals provides data on water use and wastewater discharge for every four years of operations with further site-level details. American Electric Power also provides detailed site-level water withdrawal data. Anheuser-Busch, a beverage producer, discloses data on water use by breaking it down to product lines, as well as sources of water withdrawal. The company also provides data on destination of discharge. Suncor, an oil and gas company, adopted a 10-year water management plan which has as its main goal the recycling and reuse of large volumes of wastewater and tailings water. The company also disclosed its reduction target for water use by 12% by 2015.
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