LAHORE: PepsiCo joined hands with WWF-Pakistan to invest PKR 160 million in a community water stewardship project with the aim for groundwater replenishment of 343 million liters at local watersheds near their Foods manufacturing plants by 2023. The project launch was announced during the climate week with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between PepsiCo and WWF-Pakistan, says a Press release.
Under this partnership, PepsiCo has pledged to replenish more water than the company uses in its Foods operations through numerous initiatives including rainwater harvesting, floating treatment wetlands, and agricultural water-usage efficiency improvement. The signing of this MoU recognizes that water conservation and replenishment is critical for tackling climate change-related water scarcity in Pakistan. The PepsiCo-WWF Pakistan collaboration on water stewardship is also consistent with PepsiCo’s global ambition for becoming net water-positive by 2030 in high water-risk sites.
PepsiCo through its partnership with WWF-Pakistan will implement various water replenishment techniques at its manufacturing sites for balancing the percentage use of freshwater. The project will also raise awareness among local communities on rainwater conservation, re-usability of conserved water for secondary purposes, and groundwater replenishment.
During the MoU signing ceremony, PepsiCo Pakistan, Director Sales Mohammad Khosa shared his views, “Water scarcity is correlated with the escalating climate crisis and we have doubled down on our commitments to tackle climate change through water stewardship in our operations. Water stewardship is a top priority for PepsiCo in water-stressed Pakistan to support our government in developing and managing the water sector for optimal use and community benefit. I take great pride in this initiative as it is a great example for everyone to come forward and create positive water impact in Pakistan.”
Speaking at the occasion, Director General WWF-Pakistan Hammad Naqi commented, “Urbanization is exacerbating water insecurity in many of Pakistan’s major cities, including Lahore where groundwater levels are falling at an alarming rate of 2.5 to 3 feet per year. These trends are necessitating course correction. Our work with PepsiCo is a big step towards a sustainable water balance as we take communities on board in the Lahore and Multan regions to adopt affordable, localized and eco-friendly solutions to address groundwater challenges.”
PepsiCo’s global end-to-end strategic transformation pep+ (PepsiCo Positive), will see the company place sustainability at the center of how it will create growth and value. By driving positive impact at scale and leveraging its connections with billions of consumers each day, PepsiCo aims to inspire people to make choices that are better for themselves and the planet. As a food and beverage company, PepsiCo is acutely aware of the critical role water plays in the food system and has a vision that wherever in the world PepsiCo operates, water resources will be in a better state because of the company’s presence.
In Pakistan, PepsiCo Pakistan’s long-term water strategy aims to achieve sustainable water security for the business, natural ecosystems and local communities that depend on an accessible and reliable supply of clean, safe water. Local initiatives include a 3-year alliance with WaterAid that has enabled access to clean drinking water for 112,300 Pakistani citizens in urban cities of Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi. The partnership is supporting the Government of Pakistan’s Clean Green Initiative aimed at environmental sustainability with the goal of safe water provision to underserved communities.
In addition, PepsiCo Pakistan is working alongside partners, communities, businesses, and government counterparts to create positive water impact by fully adopting the global Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) standard to implement sustainable water management practices at the business and community level – including operational water-use efficiency, smart water usage in agriculture, and local groundwater replenishment.