STAMFORD, CT ., Oct. 25, 2017 Nestlé Waters North America announced today that its Sacramento and Livermore, Calif., factories have received certification for meeting the rigorous Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Standard. Created by industry leaders and prominent environmental conservation groups such as The Nature Conservancy and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the AWS Standard is the first comprehensive global standard for measuring responsible water stewardship across social, environmental, and economic criteria.
In the same vein as the LEED certification system – designed in 1993 by the U.S. Green Building Council to measure environmental design, construction, and maintenance standards in buildings – the AWS Standard sets global guidelines for efficient, collaborative and transparent water stewardship methods, from the source, to the plant, to the consumer.
Today's announcement came as Nestlé Waters pledged to certify 20 of its bottling sites around the world to the AWS Standard by 2020 – the first beverage company in the world to make such a commitment – while urging others in the bottled water industry to also adopt this thorough sustainability standard. Of the nine facilities that have been certified to the AWS Standard globally, four are Nestlé Waters sites, including three in California. More information about Nestlé's global commitment can be found here.
"Aligning to the AWS Standard puts Nestlé Waters at the vanguard of a new movement for water stewardship and conservation worldwide," said Nelson Switzer, Chief Sustainability Officer at Nestlé Waters North America. "We take our responsibility as a water steward seriously. By achieving and maintaining AWS certification at these sites, we will continue to be at the forefront of the best water resource management practices around the world."
Sacramento and Livermore are the second and third locations in the state – following Nestlé Waters' Ontario, Calif., factory – to receive certification, making significant progress toward the company's commitment to implement the AWS Standard at all five of its California water-bottling facilities by the end of 2017. Taken together, aligning with the AWS Standard at these three plants is projected to generate a combined savings of more than 20 million gallons of water by end of 2017. This is a result of a number of conservation techniques encouraged by the AWS Standard, including reverse osmosis, to better filter and reuse wastewater, advanced water mapping to more carefully manage the flow of water in and out of the plants, and xeriscaping to reduce supplemental irrigation on the grounds of each factory.
"Central California has certainly experienced its share of severe water challenges over the past decade," said Sacramento Factory Manager Shawn Edmondson. "Being a good water steward is essential to our business, and maintaining AWS certification through ongoing water efficiency efforts and community engagement will continue to be our objective."
"Working closely with the community, improving the efficiency of our operations, and responsibly managing our local water resources is just part of our daily practice," said Livermore Factory Manager Mike Parnisi. "We're very proud of this achievement, and look at it as an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to water stewardship."
California was selected as the first location for AWS certification because of the shared water challenges in the state, including the recent five-year drought. In certifying these sites, auditors looked at a number of factors within the groundwater basins where the plants are located, such as water quality, the availability of existing water sources, and the health of water-related areas, such as marshes, in the region.
"We are excited that three facilities have now achieved AWS certification in North America, and hope that this milestone encourages more companies to adopt collaborative and transparent water use practices," said Matt Howard, Director for AWS North America. "For every facility that meets the core criteria of the Standard, we move a step closer to the goal of global, sustainable freshwater use that is socially, environmentally, and economically responsible."
In addition to implementing the AWS Standard, Nestlé Waters has undertaken a number of community-based water conservation measures in California, including partnering with the Cucamonga Valley Water District in San Bernardino County to construct a groundwater treatment project expected to restore an additional 250 million gallons of clean drinking water each year to the local water supply.
About Nestlé Waters North America in California
Nestlé Waters North America employs more than 1,200 Californians, providing rewarding careers and high-quality jobs. The company also spends more than $325 million annually with California-based vendors and businesses. Through contributions and employee volunteer hours, the company supports local organizations such as Inland Empire Waterkeeper, Cucamonga Valley Water District, and the Southern California Mountains Foundation. In addition to the Sacramento site, Nestlé Waters has factories in Cabazon, Livermore, Los Angeles, and Ontario.
About Nestlé Waters North America
Nestlé Waters North America provides people with an unrivaled portfolio of bottled waters for healthy hydration. Brands such as Arrowhead® Mountain Spring Water, Nestlé® Pure Life®, Perrier® and San Pellegrino® have driven Nestlé Waters North America to be the third largest non-alcoholic beverage company by volume in the U.S. Nestlé Waters North America also owns and operates ReadyRefresh SM by Nestlé®, the largest home and office water delivery service by volume in the U.S. Based in Stamford, Connecticut with some 8,500 associates, Nestlé Waters is committed to reducing its environmental footprint across its operations. As a natural resource company, Nestlé Waters sustainably manages our 47 spring sources and maintains nearly 14,000 acres of natural watershed area. The company is also committed to creating shared value and being a good neighbor in the 140 communities where it operates in the U.S.
About the Alliance for Water Stewardship
AWS is a global membership-based collaboration that unites organizations behind its mission: To lead a global network that promotes responsible use of freshwater that is socially and economically beneficial and environmentally sustainable. AWS achieves this through a global water stewardship system, centered on the International Water Stewardship Standard (the AWS Standard), that drives, recognizes, and rewards good water stewardship performance. The AWS vision is that water users and managers are responsible water stewards, who protect and enhance freshwater resources for people and nature. The AWS Standard provides a globally-applicable framework for major water users to understand their water use and impact, and to work collaboratively and transparently for sustainable management within water catchment areas.
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