Lahore, November 21, 2014 (PPI-OT): Nestlé Pakistan has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-Pakistan for sustainable water use and water stewardship. The agreement was signed by Magdi Batato, Nestlé Pakistan’s Managing Director and Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General, WWF-Pakistan.
Pakistan is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world with fewer than 1,000 cubic meters of water available per person. The biggest contributor to this stress is the irresponsible water use by farmers. Agriculture currently accounts for 96% of the water use while the rest is equally distributed between domestic and industrial use, according to a 2007 study by Asian Development Bank.
Globally, Nestlé is working with the Water Resources Group, UNGC CEO Water Mandate and other networks to foster new thinking. Nestlé Pakistan, between 2003 and 2013 alone, improved water efficiency in its operations by 22%. The company also ensures treatment of wastewater before releasing it back into the ecosystem.
As part of its commitment to sustainable use of water, Nestlé Pakistan, in collaboration with WWF-Pakistan, will launch projects not just to improve the water usage within Nestlé operations and supply chain but will also implement Alliance of Water Stewardship standards.
Mr Batato, at the signing ceremony, said, “Nestlé takes water conservation – a critical pillar in our Creating Shared Value portfolio – very seriously. We have been consistently improving our water footprint but believe that our partnership with WWF-Pakistan will help us in achieving water stewardship milestones sooner and more efficiently.
Most importantly, this will help us to look outside our operations to further reduce the water footprint across our value chain. For one, the large number of farmers that we work with offers a great opportunity for increasing awareness about how to use water responsibly in the agriculture sector.”
Speaking on the occasion, Hammad Naqi Khan noted, “Unsustainable water use and its poor management, in addition to threats posed by climate change, are causing increasing water scarcity in Pakistan. It is expected that businesses will, in the future, face risks related to water quantity, quality as well as regulation of the resource.
We appreciate this step taken by Nestlé Pakistan in recognizing the role it must play in the sustainable use and conservation of water. We hope other organizations will also step forward to work with us to manage their water footprint.” Syed Babar Ali, a member of the Board of Directors Nestlé Pakistan and President Emeritus WWF-Pakistan, was also present on the occasion.
For more information, contact:
Aatekah Mir-Khan
Corporate Media Relations Manager
Nestle Pakistan
308 Upper Mall,
P. O. Box 874,
Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-35988119, +92-42-111-Nestle (637853)
Cell: +92-342-6662999
Email: aatekahahmad.mirkhan@PK.nestle.com
Website: www.nestle.pk
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