Nestle Waters North America – a longstanding advocate for quality testing and transparency in reporting – on March 19 announced efforts to increase awareness about water quality and sustainability in support of the World Water Day 2010 theme, "Clean Water for a Healthy World." World Water Day is celebrated on March 22.
Continuing its ongoing commitment to educate children about issues related to managing and protecting water resources, Nestle Waters is partnering with Project WET to provide water education kits to classrooms in local communities. As the largest corporate sponsor of Project WET in the United States and around the world, Nestle Waters has helped Project WET educate more than 25 million students and 200,000 teachers on water resource management, hydration and health, and environmental stewardship.
Educational kits will be distributed to local schools in the communities where Nestle Waters facilities have received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifications. Nestle Waters leads the U.S. food and beverage industry with nine LEED-certified plants and more than 3.5 million square feet of LEED-certified manufacturing space. LEED is an internationally recognized certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council that measures how well a building performs across various sustainability metrics, including water efficiency, energy savings, CO2 emissions reduction and stewardship of resources.
"We believe people have a right to quality water and that careful management is crucial to ensuring access for generations to come," said Heidi Paul, vice president, corporate affairs, Nestle Waters North America. "Along with our parent company Nestle SA, we're proud to support World Water Day and to partner with Project WET and other organizations around the world to promote the importance of water stewardship."
"Project WET and Nestle Waters share a deep concern for water quality and conservation," said Dennis Nelson, Project WET president and CEO. "Through our longstanding and successful partnership, we continue to work together to educate more people about important water issues."
From source to bottle, Nestle Waters strives to provide the high-quality, healthful hydration consumers want with minimal environmental impact. Since 2000, the company has reduced total water consumption in its factories by 7.8 percent and, in 2007, reduced water use by 1.3 percent while increasing production 10 percent.
For more information on Nestle Waters' commitment to quality and sustainability, visit www.nestle-watersna.comand www.beveragelcafootprint.com.
About Nestle Waters North America
Central to the leadership of Nestle Waters North America Inc. is its 34-year history and single-focus on producing bottled water products. The company's dedication to product quality, manufacturing expertise, efficient production, employee development and environmental stewardship, especially in the areas of water use, energy and packaging, has helped Nestle Waters become the number one bottled water company in the U.S. To reach success, the company follows its credo: Respect for each other, respect for the environment, and respect for the community.