The world's largest beverage producer Coca-Cola Company
announced in Beijing on Tuesday a global partnership with the World
Wildlife Foundation (WWF), pledging US$20 million of financial
support to help conserve and protect the world's freshwater
resources.
"The centerpiece of the partnership will be seven of the world's
most critical freshwater river basins, including China's Yangtze
River," said E. Neville Isdell, Chief Executive Officer of
Coca-Cola Company at a press conference.
The Yangtze River program will include water resource management
projects in the Minjiang River and Jiangling River, two tributaries
in the upper reaches of Yangtze.
The company will also work with its franchise bottlers located
along the river to find the most efficient solution for using
water.
"The Coca-Cola Company is answering the call to help solve the
global freshwater crisis through this bold partnership," said James
Leape, Director General of WWF International.
The campaign was announced at WWF's annual meeting, being held
this year in Beijing for the first time.
Coca-Cola Company said it will set specific water efficiency
targets for global operations by 2008 and return all the water used
for manufacturing processes to the environment at a level that
supports aquatic life and agriculture.
In 2006, the company and its franchised bottlers used
approximately 290billion liters of water for beverage
production.
Of that amount, approximately 114 billion liters, or 40 percent,
were contained in beverages sold in markets around the world, and
another 176 billion liters were used in manufacturing processes
such as rinsing, cleaning, heating and cooling.
Coca-Cola said it will further improve the efficient use of
water in its manufacturing operations.
Currently, the production of one liter of Coca-Cola requires
2.54 liters of water, down from 3.1 liters five years ago.
"Our ultimate aim is to establish a truly water-sustainable
business on a global scale," Isdell said.
Tuesday is the 35th World Environment Day.
The other river basins concerned by the project are Southeast
Asia's Mekong, the Rio Grande of the Southwestern United States and
Mexico; the rivers and streams of the southeastern United States,
the rivers of the Mesoamerican Caribbean Reef, the East Africa
basin of Lake Malawi and Central Europe's Danube.
These river basins span more than 20 countries and face
different challenges.
(Xinhua News Agency June 6, 2007)
