by Dan Bena
I can’t help but think of the worldwide web when I see WWW but, in this case, it stands for World Water Week, an annual gathering of a few thousand people in Stockholm, Sweden, who get together to talk about — you guessed it — water! Discussions focus on everything related to water – from quality to quantity, the politics of water (and there are a lot of these), the price of water, and how water (or the lack of it) can cause wars between nations.
PepsiCo has had a presence at World Water Week for several years, but this year is especially exciting, because we are launching the first-ever PepsiCo Water Report: “Water Stewardship: Good for Business. Good for Society.” This is the first time our efforts to conserve and replenish water use in our operations and expand access to clean water around the globe will be encapsulated in one place. I encourage you to have a look at the full report which is available at http://www.pepsico.com/WaterReport
Today, about one billion people are currently without access to clean drinking water. People, mostly children, are actually dying from unsafe water. As a global food and beverage business, and a company with a conscience, we have an inherent responsibility to help address this crisis by respecting water as a fundamental human right. For a company like PepsiCo, respecting water as a human right means helping the people who need it most, but it’s also about respecting the way we use water within our business…using it responsibly…not wasting it, and not polluting it. As this report details, we’re doing this in a number of ways, but it all boils down to “respecting the human right to water through world-class efficiency in our operations, preserving water resources and enabling access to safe water.”
I’m proud of the work we’ve done at PepsiCo to “respect water as a human right.” I also know we have a long way to go – but we’ll get there with the continued support and hard work of associates across the company and the feedback and engagement of partners like Water.org, Safe Water Network, and Columbia University’s Earth Institute.
I’ve tried to take a cue from PepsiCo by helping to conserve water – and respect water as a human right – in my own life too. It’s simple, and I’d encourage others to get involved and do our part. For example, taking shorter showers, turning the water off while brushing your teeth, or waiting to run the dishwasher or washing machine until there’s a full load. All of these actions can make a difference and help save water, for current and future generations.
