Business & Money | Saturday 21 January, 2017 3:36 am |

PepsiCo, the global food and beverage company, is a partner of the International Water Summit (IWS), highlighting the company’s commitment to responsible water stewardship in the Asia, Middle East and North Africa (AMENA) region and across the world.

 

The IWS is a platform that promotes water sustainability in arid regions, bringing together global leaders, experts, academics and business innovators to speed the development of new technologies and strategies for sound water stewardship.

“PepsiCo is honored to partner with IWS in this dialogue about solutions for our water-stressed world,” said Sanjeev Chadha, CEO, PepsiCo AMENA. “Water is critical for our world - and for us at PepsiCo - as an ingredient in our products, as a key enabler in our agricultural programs and in the manufacturing processes of our snacks, foods and beverages. We are absolutely committed to contributing to Positive Water Impact in and near the communities where we work. This includes our efforts to replenish the total water we consume in high water-risk areas, and to provide access to safe drinking water for underserved communities. There is some positive work being done around the world to improve water security, and IWS gives us all an opportunity to exchange best practices, and forge partnerships to work together to convert these islands of excellence into the ocean of change that is required to usher water security across our world,” Chadha added.

Countries, especially in water-stressed regions, are realizing that demand caused by population growth is increasing pressure on scarce water resources. Gains in efficiency and productivity in water management and use are helping to reduce the risk of severe water shortages. According to a new report called ‘The Future’, authored by strategy consultants Booz Allen Hamilton, 25 countries will lack sufficient access to water to meet daily needs by 2025, leaving almost half the world’s population without adequate access to water. According to the Water Resources Institute, a global research organization that works closely with leaders to sustain the world’s natural resources— 14 of the world’s 33 likely most water-stressed countries in 2040 will be in the Middle East.

 

In 2015, PepsiCo globally improved operational water-use efficiency by 25.8% since 2006. That exceeded the company's goal of 20% by the end of the same year, a commitment outlined under PepsiCo’s ‘Performance with Purpose’ vision which is rooted in the fundamental belief that business success is inextricably linked to the sustainability of the world we share. By the end of 2015, the PepsiCo Foundation and its partners provided safe water access to more than nine million people since 2006, significantly exceeding PepsiCo’s goal of six million people by 2015.

 

In the beverages and snacks operations in AMENA, PepsiCo uses effective water conservation practices in line with the company’s global commitments. As a result, PepsiCo increased its water-use efficiency in AMENA by 50% between 2006-2015.  In the GCC snacks business alone, PepsiCo has reduced its water use by an average of 69% per unit of production in the past decade.

In Jordan, PepsiCo's business has cut water use by more than 40% per unit of production since 2006. PepsiCo partners with Jordan’s Ministry of Water and Irrigation on projects that include the construction of dams for rainwater harvesting, launching a community water-awareness campaign, and installing a treatment unit to give the local community access to clean water.

 

In India, PepsiCo has developed and deployed a direct seeding machine for rice farmers, enabling growers to improve water efficiency by an average of approximately 30%. This work on rice was part of PepsiCo’s Sustainable Farming Initiative which helps growers to operate more efficiently and meet PepsiCo's social, economic and environmental standards, including developing effective water management plans to preserve local water quality. The program reaches 28,000 growers in 15 countries.