A focus on sustainability

Nestle Waters says its factories meet strict standards

As the company pushes forward with a number of sustainability initiatives, Nestle Waters North America announced this month new environmental honors for several of its facilities in California and Canada.

One of the largest beverage producers in the country, Stamford-based Nestle Waters has faced scrutiny of its environmental impact in recent years from neighbors of its factories and conservation advocates. Company officials respond that new certifications from the third-party Alliance for Water Stewardship show it is meeting its commitment to responsible water management.

“As water stewards, we have a deep interest in ensuring the sustainability of those resources,” Nelson Switzer, Nestle Waters’ chief sustainability officer, said in an interview this week. “Often, the neighboring communities rely on those resources, and we invest a considerable amount of capital so we can have factories in these locations. We need to ensure the sustainability of the supply to move forward with our business.”

Nestle Waters announced last week its Los Angeles and Cabazon, Calif., factories had been certified to the standard of the AWS, which comprises an alliance of businesses, nonprofits, public-sector agencies and academic institutes.

The AWS criteria study groundwater basins where facilities are located, taking into account factors such as water quality, the availability of existing water sources and the health of nearby waterrelated areas, such as marshes. In addition, AWS auditors interview neighbors and others in the community.

“These recent certifications in California further prove that it is possible for sustainable freshwater use to be socially, environmentally and economically responsible,” Matt Howard, AWS’ director for North America, said in a statement.

All five Nestle Waters California facilities have been AWS-certified. The Cabazon site earned a gold certification — the first factory in North America to do so.

As part of the AWS certification process, auditing of Nestle Waters’ California facilities showed combined savings of more than 54 million gallons of water between 2016 and 2017, according to Nestle Waters data.

The company chose California as its first area for certification because of the ongoing water challenges in a state that has grappled with severe drought in recent years.

Nestle Waters also announced this month the certification of its bottling facility in Hope, British Columbia — the first facility in Canada to gain AWS accreditation.

In total, eight Nestle Waters facilities worldwide — also including two in Pakistan — have reached the AWS standard. Two more plants in North America are expected to be certified by the end of this year, and the company wants to certify 20 of its properties by 2020.

Nestle Waters officials declined to say how much the company has spent to secure the AWS certifications, but they said they have seen a significant return on their investment.

But Nestle Waters has faced criticism in some quarters for its water consumption. In northern Michigan, the company has filed an application to increase its pumping capacity, and the proposal has sparked tens of thousands of public comments, with many environmentalists concerned about its potential impact.

Company officials have responded that damaging the ecosystem in Michigan and around its other facilities would hurt their business.

“It would make no sense whatsoever for us to invest $75 million in a factory and then to just exhaust the raw material and supply,” Switzer said.