Coca-Cola Co. Announces Plan to Offset the 76 Billion Gallons of Water it uses Annually

Coca-Cola Co. today dropped a sustainable bombshell announcing it is funding a $20 million project to try and offset the 76 billion gallons of water it uses each year to make Coke, Sprite, Fanta and its other drinks.  Yes that is not a typo Coca-Cola uses 76 billion gallons of water annually.

According to a company press release Coca-Cola Co. will work to conserve seven major rivers worldwide and will also revamp its bottling practices to reduce pollution and water use.

The campaign was announced at the World Wildlife Foundation's (WWF) annual meeting in Beijing.  Information on the announcement and apparent Coca-Cola/WWF partnership is prominently displayed on both parties web sites. 

"Essentially the pledge is to return every, every drop we use back to nature," Coca-Cola Chief Executive E. Neville Isdell said at a news conference.

Under the project the company will explore how to eventually set targets to improve water efficiency for its water-thirsty agricultural partners, including sugar cane producers, Isdell told the Associated Press.

This is an important point because of the huge amount of water needed to grow sugar cane, said Jason Clay, a WWF researcher.  "For every liter of Coke, just the sugar in it requires between 175 and 250 liters (46 to 66 gallons) of water.  This is the big issue," he told the AP.  "They really need to get a handle on sugar."

Clay said Coca-Cola was encouraging sugar cane producers to conserve water, and was looking at sugar alternatives.

The partnership will focus on measurably conserving seven of the world's most critical freshwater river basins: China's Yangtze; Southeast Asia's Mekong; the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo of Southwest United States  and Mexico; the rivers and streams of the Southeastern United States; the water basins of the Mesoamerican Caribbean Reef; the East Africa basin of Lake Malawi; and Europe's Danube River.  How they plan on conserving the river basins remains unclear.

"The water crisis is as important as climate change," said Carter Roberts, President of WWF-US. "Thousands of people die each day from polluted water. Freshwater species are more at risk for extinction. These conditions will only get worse with climate change. The Coca-Cola Company's commitment to water neutrality is a first. We need more companies to step up and make similar commitments if we are going to reverse these current trends."

Roberts comments puzzle me, while what he says is accurate what about the 76 billion gallons of water Coca-Cola uses annually???  Isn't that a problem?

This is one of the stranger stories I've seen.  Today's announcement was clearly carefully planned and the fact it came at the WWF annual meeting is significant.

   

According to Coca-Cola, they have been working together with WWF for several years on a number of pilot projects to conserve water, address water efficiency in the Company's operations and protect species.   

Surely a $20 million commitment is a drop in the bucket compared to the environmental impact Coca-Cola products production has on the environment.  The whole announcement/plan appears to be a PR move however I think it only draws attention to the incredible impact the company's production has on water supplies and global-warming.

Amazing.

Comments

[Evan Pilkington]

Volumetric offset projects are a positive way for corporate entities to contribute directly to the communities upon which they rely. I think that Coke seems to have adopted a progressive approach to water conservation.