Replenishing Africa’s Water Systems And Transforming Lives

ONE OF THE GREATEST in Africa is often overlooked – a lack of access to clean drinking water. By 2025, half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas with one in three people, globally, not having access to safe drinking water, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Admittedly, The Coca-Cola Company is a large consumer of water which is why water security is central to its sustainability goals. “Without water, we don’t have a business, yet in water-risk areas, we compete for water. In areas where the municipalities do allocations of water, we have to be a responsible citizen in terms of how we use that water,” says Mark Brasler, Former Head of Quality, Safety, and Environment, Coca-Cola Southern and East Africa. As part of a water use minimization workstream, Coca-Cola is looking at new technologies and programs that can help it achieve a global benchmark of 1.2 litres. “How do we take this to the next level to ensure that the water we do get, we use sustainably?” asks Brasler.