Nestlé to invest $130 million in local water improvement projects

Vevey, Switzerland-based Nestlé Waters said it will expand its programs to manage water sustainably and increase its collaboration with partners to identify and support local solutions. Nestlé said it will invest $130 million to assist the implementation of the more than 100 projects.

These solutions, the company said, are designed to help regenerate the ecosystems in the areas around each of Nestlé Waters' 48 sites. As of 2025, they will help nature retain more water than the business uses in its operations.

The new initiative builds on the company's 2017 commitment to certify all of its waters sites by the Alliance for Water Stewardship by 2025. This standard requires water users to understand and act collectively on water challenges.

Nestlé will now use its expertise to advance the regeneration of local water cycles through the implementation of more than 100 projects for its 48 sites by 2025. Some project examples include:

• Buxton, a land conservation (protecting land from development) and natural flood management interventions in Derbyshire, UK.
• Vittel, river restoration and renaturation projects in Vosges, France.
• Nestlé Pure Life, support for farmers to use drip irrigation in Sheikhupura, Pakistan.
• Nestlé Pure Life, the delivery of water treatment, filtration and pipeline infrastructure for the municipal water supply in Benha, Egypt.

"Today, we are accelerating our journey to support the regeneration of local water cycles and are challenging ourselves to take bold new steps," said Muriel Lienau, who heads up Nestlé's water business.

Lienau identified climate change, higher water consumption, growing urbanization and damaged infrastructure as key factors contributing to the deterioration of the natural water cycle.