World Water Day 2018: Coca-Cola returned 60 million liters of water to nature and communities in Pakistan

Karachi,March 21, 2018– In recognition of World Water Day, The Coca-Cola Company announced that it has returned 60 million liters of water to nature and communities in Pakistan.

Coca Cola’s Replenish goal, a first for the beverage-producing private sector, seeks to replenish, or return through water access, productive use and conservation activities, 100 percent of the water Coca-Cola uses in its global sales volume by 2020. To achieve this, Coca-Cola System entities support community-based water projects around the world, with a specific focus on water stressed regions and those locations experiencing or recovering from humanitarian crises.

“Pakistan remains one of the most water stressed states globally, which gives us another reason for reinstating our mandate as a responsible corporate citizen; as a Company we are on track to replenish 100% water back into the communities where our business operates. Although scarcity of potable water resources, high rate of unhygienic practices and local governance clauses pose as a strong challenge for us, but over the past decade we have developed a strong network of partners, NGOs and provincial authorities who have been supportive towards our water stewardship practices,” said Rizwan Khan General Manager, Coca-Cola Pakistan & Afghanistan Region.

Each of the projects vary in design and scale, but all operate to either provide people with access to sustainable water and sanitation services, provide water for productive use such as irrigation, or protect environments and natural water sources from degradation and depletion.

To date, Coca-Cola and its philanthropic Foundations have implemented over 25 replenishment projects throughout the MENA region,the most water-stressed region in the world. In Pakistan alone, Coca Cola and its partners have launched and implemented nine water replenishment projects that resulted in the return of 60 million liters of water to nature and communities, including: