Water resources management in the bottled water business

Abstract

Nestlé Waters is the world's leader in the bottled water business. We operate 104 factories in more than 35 countries and produce different categories of bottled water: natural mineral water, natural spring water, drinking water. Our bottling activities depend mainly on the groundwater resources everywhere we operate. With more than 500 water sources (wells or natural springs), Nestlé Waters has always considered their management as a strategic activity. This is the reason why a continuous monitoring system for each of those sources was put in place many years ago. The objective is to insure the sustainable water supply of our factories in terms of quantity and quality. Some technical procedures have been especially adapted to the bottled water business. Moreover, to actively protect our water sources some specific activities have been implemented as the result of collaborative and open discussions with the communities. In particular Nestlé Waters is working alongside several local stakeholders (authorities, local communities, farmers) to put in place innovative and sustainable protection initiatives, which today cover thousands of hectares of aquifers recharge areas. Initiated in the early 1970s, the Agrivair programme in Vittel (France) is today considered a reference in groundwater resources preservation. © 2009 WIT Press.