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Work to achieve water efficiency and sustainability across our operations
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Improving water efficiency
Our commitment
Why it matters
Water is vital to Nestlé’s operations, and we are aware of our responsibility to use it as efficiently as possible. We annually assess the water-related risks at our facilities, combining the level of water stress in the regions where we operate and our water use, to determine the factories where water issues matter most.
As many of our facilities are located in water-stressed areas, we are permanently working to preserve local water resources through robust auditing processes and technology improvements to ensure best-in-class water efficiency in our operations.
What we are doing
In 2019, we continued to work on improving our water use efficiency while developing water stewardship plans to reduce our operational water use. Read more about it in our 2019 progress report.
By 2020
Reduce direct water withdrawals per tonne of product in every product category to achieve an overall reduction of 35% since 2010
By 2020
Carry out 40 new Water Resource Reviews in selected manufacturing facilities in all greenfield sites
Demonstrating our commitment
Safeguarding water with technology
Making immediate changes to save water requires real-time information on water use. That is why, in 2019, Nestlé Waters announced the implementation of a new monitoring system across its operations in more than 20 countries. The Aquassay technology allows Nestlé Waters to live-monitor every aspect of the production process in our bottling plants, resulting in more efficient operations and better water management. The system continually collects data and displays it on various devices. This allows facility managers to make quick calls with regard to operational adjustments, troubleshooting or maintenance.
This technology will increase the knowledge of water flows and uses in our bottling activities, allowing Nestlé Waters to share further information with the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) and contributing to the preparation of certification of all Nestlé Waters sites to the AWS Standard by 2025.
Water withdrawals at our factories by product category (m³ per tonne of product)
| Category | 2010 | 2019 | % reduction since 2010 |
| Milk products | 5.5 | 3.4 | 37 |
| Confectionery | 7.2 | 3.2 | 56 |
| Nutrition and healthcare | 13.6 | 8.6 | 37 |
| PetCare | 1.2 | 1.1 | 11 |
| Powdered and liquid beverages | 13.9 | 5.9 | 58 |
| Prepared dishes and cooking aids | 5.5 | 3.5 | 36 |
| Water | 1.7 | 1.5 | 10 |
