PepsiCo Inc., Purchase, N.Y., has improved water use
efficiency by more than 15 percent over 2006 levels, achieved “positive water
balance” in India and plans to provide access to clean water to a million
people by 2011, according to its inaugural water report.
The “Water Stewardship: Good for Business. Good for Society”
report details the company’s efforts to conserve and replenish water use in its
operations and expand access to clean water globally, the company said. PepsiCo
released the report while participating in the Stockholm International Water
Institute’s World Water Week, an annual meeting to convene public and private
sector leaders to focus on urgent global water problems.
"Currently, around 1 billion people are without access
to clean drinking water, making the world water crisis one of the most pressing
challenges of our time," said Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo’s chairwoman and chief
executive officer, in a statement. "As a global food and beverage company,
we have an inherent responsibility to be good stewards of this increasingly
limited resource, and we are proud of the progress made so far on our journey
to minimize our water footprint while expanding access to clean water around
the globe."
The inaugural water report provides a progress update on a
set of goals PepsiCo announced in April that are focused on respecting the
human right to water.
The company plans to achieve its goals through efficiency in
its operations, preserving water resources and enabling access to safe water,
PepsiCo said. Among PepsiCo’s goals are improving water use efficiency by 20
percent per unit of production by 2015, giving back more water than it uses in
its operations in water-distressed areas, and providing access to safe water to
3 million people in developing countries by the end of 2015.
