Soft drink multinational The Coca-Cola Company has claimed in an international water conference that it is now replenishing all the 300 billion litres of water it used for its operations.
Company Chairman and CEO Muhtar Kent made the claim at the ongoing World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden.
The company whose brands in Kenya are produced and distributed by soft drink bottling subsidiaries of investment firm Centum under a license agreement said that it has met the 2020 water replenishment goal five years early.
“This achievement marks a moment of pride for Coca-Cola and our partners. A goal that started as aspiration in 2007 is today a reality and a global milestone we plan to maintain as our business grows,” Mr. Kent said.
World Water Week is the annual focal point for the globe’s water issues and is organized by Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). This year, the theme is Water for Sustainable Growth.
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 percent of the water used in Coca-Cola’s beverages last year.
“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,” Kent said.
These water replenishment goals were achieved through 248 community water partnership projects in 71 countries focused on safe water access, watershed protection and water for productive use.
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