As a company dependent upon local water supplies to make our products, Nestlé Waters is committed to responsible water management, and to respecting the interests of our neighbors and the communities where we do business. Once a source has been identified as viable, we engage in dialogue with residents and community officials, and strive to address any issues they raise. In the great majority of our siting projects, we have worked successfully with local communities. In a small number of cases, our siting efforts have generated controversy, and we are working with local and national stakeholders to learn from those projects.

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Over the past few years, questions have arisen about ownership of water resources, and how water is managed and transported by the bottled water industry. To address these concerns, this section details:

• Our total water use

• Our processes to select and responsibly manage our water resources

• Our approach to water rights

Click here to read The Nestle Water Management Report for a complete guide to how NWNA and its parent company manage their sources

Total Water Use

Nestlé Waters draws water from approximately 75 water sources, including 50 spring sites and 25 non-spring sources. Non-spring sources include groundwater and surface water sources. Of our 75 sources, 20 are municipal water sources. Nearly all sources are listed on the bottle label for each brand. We will list sources on labels for all our brands by the beginning of 2009. We hastened this process in 2007 based on constructive stakeholder feedback indicating the importance of this transparency. We already list all of our sources for each brand on our website.

Although bottled water is an obvious user of water, it is actually a very small user. Of the total fresh water used in North America each year, Nestlé Waters uses less than 0.0003%. Even at the local level, our water use is often much smaller than that of other agricultural or manufacturing businesses. We also use a small amount of water per unit of product compared to other beverage companies. (It takes 1.37 gallons of water to make a gallon of Nestlé Waters bottled water, compared to three gallons for soda and five gallons for beer, not including far greater amounts of water to grow and process their agricultural ingredients.) We continuously look for ways to be more efficient in using water when making our products. See Reducing Our Manufacturing and Logistics Footprint    Click here to read more about our water use

At the global level, Nestlé SA is a founding member of the CEO Water Mandate, a United Nations Global Compact  initiative with a focus on developing strategies and solutions to contribute positively to the emerging global water crisis.

Selection and Management of Our Sites

Because we invest millions of dollars in bottling plants near our spring and non-spring sites, and share water resources with local communities and ecosystems, we seek sources that can be used and managed for long-term sustainability.

We use the following process in developing new sites. To identify appropriate sites, we evaluate a number of factors, including water flow volumes, water quality, the recharge area that replenishes the source, other uses of the source and the required investment to develop the site. At a minimum, we review at least one year’s worth of data on potential water sources to understand variations in seasonal weather patterns and ensure adequate water flow throughout the year, and we make these data available to the public.

Click here to read more about our efforts to protect water sources 

We also meet with stakeholders, including local community members, government officials and non-governmental organizations, to explain our activities and discuss any questions. The most frequent issues raised include the impact of water withdrawals on local water supplies and the surrounding ecosystem, and concerns about pollution and noise from our plants and trucks. In communities where we seek to operate, we are committed to continued dialogue and are open to modifications in an effort to seek collaborative solutions.

In order to develop a site, we complete applications to obtain the appropriate permits from required agencies. Where appropriate, we also conduct an assessment to understand the biological diversity and health of the area surrounding the water source. In addition to our ongoing monitoring, we conduct follow-up surveys at least once every five years to monitor the effects of our operations.

In developing our spring water sites, we typically conserve hundreds of acres of the surrounding land as open space to continue protection of the spring sources. The land protects not only the sources, but also the biodiversity of the area. Today, approximately 87% of the land around our spring sources, equaling roughly 14,000 acres, is managed as open space and is an environmental benefit to the local community.

While our current process has been largely successful, some stakeholders are concerned that our water use may adversely impact groundwater sources and freshwater habitats. Dialogue with several of these community groups has encouraged us to further develop and make more transparent our site selection process.

Ongoing Monitoring
 
We are committed to conducting our operations in a manner that will not significantly impact the wells or water supplies of local communities. Over time, water levels in aquifers and groundwater sources vary based upon natural cycles. Where appropriate, we place wells and other monitoring devices around our properties to measure water levels at different points.

If questions about water levels do arise, we will review water levels, share data, hold meetings and, if appropriate, support a review by an independent third party. If we are found to be at fault, we work to mitigate the problem.

Click here to learn more about our water monitoring programs

Click to see Future Goals

Read our case studies of engaging with local communities: McCloud, California; Stanwood, Michigan; Fryeburg, Maine; Kingfield, Maine

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