From Beer to Blue Jeans: Big Companies Finally Start Saving Water

Businesses have been prioritizing innovative ways to sustainably and wisely conserve, use and reuse water, especially in areas where water supply is limited.

Representatives of popular brands have highlighted in Stockholm’s World Water Week that the efficient use of water is both an environmental necessity and key to remaining profitable.

Jan-Willem Vosmeer, Heineken’s corporate social responsibility manager, believes that the availability of water “should be high on the agenda” for companies. From Coca-Cola’s use of advanced technology, including cleaning bottles with air rather than water, to Ikea’s commitment to listen to its environmentally aware customers, global brands are looking into resourceful ways to limit their use of precious water.

“Gap Inc. sees water as a human right,” Lisa Hook, who works on sustainable innovation for Gap Inc., tells the Thomson Reuters Foundation, adding, “We can’t do business where there is no water.”