Coca Cola uses about 12 billion liters of water annually in India and replenishes twice that number. With 500 water replenishment structures, the company can potentially replenish of 25.1 billion liters through its bottling operations and Coca-Cola India Foundation (CCIF/Anandana), a company registered under Section 25 of the Companies’
“The Coca-Cola India Foundation, has successfully deployed innovative water stewardship strategies for sustainable development and inclusive growth in rural India, to contribute towards socio-economic upliftment of communities at large. The pioneering commitment that the Company made in 2007, to replenish 100% water used in its operations, is a reality today,” says the company release on the occasion of World Water Day.
In 2010, Coca Cola began the process of replenishment of water in India. “With meaningful collaborations with its bottling partners, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), Civil Society Organization (CSOs) and community members, the Foundation has been able to make humble contributions through key water projects for holistic development of communities in distressed regions across India. While these projects focus on addressing the challenges owing to water scarcity, they have also paid special attention to community participation with a focus on women empowerment, who often reach supervisory roles in the village “Pani Samitis” (water committees) to ensure maintenance and sustainability of community water projects,” states the release.
As per the company’s 2019 – 20 sustainability report, the bottling operations alone has 350 water replenishment structures capable of replenishing 11.8 billion liters or 119% of water used in operations projects.
The company has also reduced its WUR (Water Usage Ratio) from 2.89 liters of water used per liter of beverage in 2009 to 1.74 liters used in 2019 due to continuous process improvements in operations.