On 23 November 2009, the 2030 Water Resources Group, of which Nestlé is part, released a new report on water scarcity. The report, called "Charting Our Water Future", shows that growing water scarcity can be mitigated affordably and sustainably. By providing greater clarity on the scale of the water challenge and the cost of the solutions, it offers a fact-based tool to help stakeholders make informed investment decisions and guide policy discussions. The report finds that if no action is taken, by 2030, projected population and economic growth will lead to global water demand that is 40% in excess of current supply. In addition, this means that one-third of the world’s population would have access to only half the water they need. Participating in the launch of this report, Nestlé Chairman, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe commented that, "We now have the necessary tools, but the real work has only just begun. We have to find ways to use these tools in watersheds in what must be a joint effort by all stakeholders." Please click here to view the full report and the executive summary.

“Aguah – O Espírito das Águas” (Aguah – The Spirit of the Waters) “Children, my name is Doctor Persévus Águs and here is your mission: we need to find Águah, the spirit of the Water. Water is now tainted in red and it does not get things wet anymore. It is crucial to save the Water of our planet. Let’s go!” Doctor Persévus’ call sounds like an energizer to the 50 children attending the interactive theater session at the Gurapiranga dam in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Divided into three groups, they walk into the forest nearby and navigate through the dam to reveal the mysterious Águah. On their way, they meet cannibals, the frog people, and a very suspicious scientist who tries to deviate the group from their goal. More importantly, the children learn about the importance of water, our individual responsibility to preserve it, and how to avoid waste and pollution. Adventure all over! Children, teachers, and parents, --- everybody gets involved in this mission to save water. They leave the play with a smile on their faces, and with an understanding on how each one can contribute to preserve water and its importance to life. During the week, children from public schools attend the Águah sessions. Weekends are dedicated to the public using the Gurarapiranga park. By the end of 2009, this project will have received 7,000 children. The play is a joint effort of Nestlé Brazil through its Cuidar Programme, dedicated to the environment conservation focused on water, and the Sao Paulo Environment State Department.

Nestlé’s priority has always been long-term development, not short-term gains. In early October, Nestlé Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe discussed his concern about the accelerating deterioration of the environment, our natural resources, and the consequences of that deterioration on global development. According to the WWF and Global Footprint Network, 25% of the world population faces water scarcity, and household water needs are predicted to rise by 61% by 2050. If present trends continue, the livelihoods of one-third of the world population will be affected by water stress in 2025. In his presentation Mr. Brabeck-Letmathe talks about how sustainability is our responsibility to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development does imply limits in technology and resources, but it is an important process of change -- where decisions are made that are consistent with the future, as well as with present needs. I think we all share Mr. Brabeck’s belief that, in order to create value for our shareholders, we need to create value for the farmers that supply us, our employees, our consumers and in the communities we operate. An important step in creating shared economic and social value is demonstrating responsible behavior that is mindful of the future. Download Mr. Brabeck’s presentation here: Why CEOS should be worried about the environment - Sept 2009

Most water bottles made by Nestlé Waters rely on PET plastic, a lightweight material that requires less energy to transport than glass and also has a smaller carbon footprint. What’s more – PET plastic is 100% recyclable and can enjoy a ‘second life’ after its use. We hope this in-depth video into the life cycle of a water bottle will encourage you to take the extra step and make sure your bottles are recycled.

Each year tens of thousands of gallons of rainwater runs off your roof, not only does that water then spread waste from cities and towns into rivers and streams, it can also be diverted, collected, and put to good use. For people interested in the intersection between sustainability and agriculture, the Rain Reserve easily diverts water through gutters and a purification system into a barrel.  The fresh, clean rainwater is a great reminder of how small changes can make a big difference when it comes to scare and shared resources like a community water supply.

Watch this video to learn more about Sierra Orchards in Winters, California--one of the early adopters of water conservation and efficiency practices featured in the report Sustaining California Agriculture in an Uncertain Future. This is the first in a series of California success stories in agricultural water use to be released March 2010.

According to MSNBC, in the next 5 years 36 states will face water shortages, right now three southern states are fighting over rights to a crucial reservoir. Georgia’s Lake Lanier will reach critical levels in just a few months, as Florida and Alabama continue to divert water from the reservoir. All three governors have contacted the president, but this issue isn’t going away until the public and industry are working together with government to find solutions for sharing scarce resources.

Even with recent rains, California faces its third consecutive year of drought. UC Davis economist Richard Howitt forecasts hard times for farmers that could result in a loss of 25,000 jobs. These kinds of shortages threaten farmers around the world, solving water crises is one of CSV’s key objectives.

Check out this video on ABCNews.com Learn about the costs of water shortages in this story about water restrictions to combat drought in Texas, when resources become scarce and communities have to actually police the use of water!

Here is a story about a sculptor, Tracy Hawkins, who invented an innovative ceramic water filter during a teaching trip in Africa. Her simple design filters 2-3 liters of water an hour and traps bacteria in a ceramic mold.

In Meza, AZ the city is powering hundreds of homes and generating almost $90,000 a year from…flushing their toilets. The adults and kids of the community are really thrilled by the savings - treatment plants like Meza’s are opening around the country.

Right now there is a pretty hot debate about bottled water’s environmental impact, yet it’s also an enormously popular product – appearing in 7 out of 10 U.S. and Canadian households.  This video might help explain why. If you think back through some of your favorite memories - vacations, trips to the park, athletic events, you may remember drinking bottled water.  That’s because in these situations tap water is usually not available and bottled water is a healthy, safe, and accessible alternative.  Many people say if they did not have easy access to bottled water they would turn to sugary, carbonated beverages.  This is exactly the behavior we don’t want to encourage in light of a serious obesity epidemic.  According to Dr. Bray of Louisiana State University Pennington Center, ‘Water is our preferred drink.  We evolved with water, it’s the most nutritious option because it has no calories.’ Bottled water also plays an important role in disaster relief, where often municipal water is totally unavailable to hundreds of families.  For victims of floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters, Nestlé Waters North America donates millions of bottles of water every year. Throughout this video, you can link to other online sources to learn even more about the industry, drinking water, health and the environment.

The BBC’s Environment correspondent, Richard Black, has a really fascinating post on water use in India.  According to Black, the U.S.’s NASA Grace Mission has discovered that the country’s water-table is falling by about 4cm (1.6 inches) per year in its north-west region, which includes Delhi. The finding, published in the journal Nature, indicates that “rainfall has not changed, and water use is too high, mainly for farming.”  According to the BBC, the finding came out just two days after the Indian government issued a warning about the potential of a water crisis. According to Sukhminder Singh, a farmer from Bhoondri in the State of Punjab: “Now our children come home and explain to us how to make proper use of water, for example while brushing teeth one should use a cup of water rather than letting water taps flow freely. This will lead to proper water management in the village community.” For our efforts, we were awarded the Punjab Government’s Award for Environmental Excellence in 2005. Dairy farming and milk processing are also important areas where Nestlé is making a positive impact in India.  Nestlé works with farmers in the Moga and Samlakha Milksheds through our Farmer Water Management Awareness Program to create awareness about the need to conserve water and optimize use in agriculture.  By providing technical support on new irrigation techniques in agriculture, rain water harvesting, ground water recharge, optimum and use of water for irrigation, and water management on dairy farms, Nestlé has helped to keep dairy waste water management at the farmer level as well as set up biogas and Vermi-compost production units. The proper management of water is something that Nestlé takes very seriously as our business depends on it.  Please see our Water Management Report for more information about how Nestlé creates shared value in the communities where we operate.

Check out this story about how Asian countries are facing chronic food shortages and social unrest if they do not spend billions of dollars to improve antiquated crop water management to cope with rapid population increases. Read the joint report by the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

On 27 and 28 April 2009, Nestlé hosted the first annual Creating Shared Value Forum at the United Nations headquarters in New York in collaboration with the UN Office for Partnerships and the Swiss Mission to the UN.

 

The Forum brought together leading experts to discuss the latest issues surrounding water, nutrition and rural development. Click here to view videos of the various sessions that took place.