Summary
Nestlé Waters partnered with Waterplan to find partners in Mexico, where 55% of primary schools lack basic water and drainage services. The company funded a rainwater harvesting project in a school suffering from water scarcity in Mexico. Thanks to our work together, over 50 students and staff were impacted, and the school is assured access to water.
Nestlé Waters’ Water Stewardship Commitment
A multinational beverage company, Nestlé Waters is the bottled water division of Nestlé, responsible for the production and distribution of bottled water worldwide across various brands, including Acqua Panna, San Pellegrino and Perrier.
Given that agriculture accounts for 70% of all water withdrawals worldwide, Nestlé Waters recognizes the critical importance of water to their business operations and supply chains. As such, they have set up an ambitious water sustainability strategy to address global water challenges and help create a positive water impact everywhere their businesses operate.
Part of Nestlé Waters’ partnership with Waterplan works towards sourcing local implementation partners for the company’s stewardship projects in Mexico. Waterplan’s team of water advisors helped Nestlé Waters define their ideal partner profile from a network of vetted and validated expert organizations for local Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) projects.
To help contribute towards their global targets, partner fit and match takes into account volumetric water benefit (VWB) estimations. Waterplan’s team worked with the partners to present their projects to Nestlé Waters, performing pre-project VWB estimations that allowed Nestlé Waters to consciously and transparently choose which project to invest in. This process led to Nestlé Waters’ work with Isla Urbana, a rainwater harvesting project in Mexico focused on designing and installing harvesting systems.
The Oasis Nestlé Waters Initiative
In Mexico, 6 out of 10 schools do not have permanent access to drinking water, and 55% of primary schools lack basic water and drainage services. Ongoing water stress particularly impacts young students, as schools frequently cancel classes to prevent infection risks and protect student health.
Rainwater harvesting has the potential to be a life-saving alternative for these schools. It is a tool that provides water autonomy and ensures sustainable access to water in the most affected communities in the country. Which is why Isla Urbana’s Escuelas de Lluvia (Schools of Rain) project was born. The initiative aims to provide clean and abundant water to schools facing high levels of water vulnerability, all while developing an environmental education.
This project and purpose was exactly aligned with “Oasis Nestlé”, an initiative focused on fulfilling Nestlé Waters’ commitment to protect the local water resources of the communities where they operate. Designed to scale across schools, hospitals, civic squares and various public spaces, Oasis will install hydropanels to generate up to 80 liters of potable water per day by condensing and purifying moisture from the air.
The first “Oasis Nestlé” school included two additional components: in collaboration with Isla Urbana, they implemented a rainwater harvesting system that enables the collection of up to 260,000 liters of water. This school will now have continuous access to safe water, ensuring water autonomy for 50+ students and staff and reducing reliance on contaminated sources.
Beyond installation, the implementation involved the entire school community through workshops and various educational strategies, with the goal of raising awareness about rainwater harvesting as an alternative in the face of the water crisis. Recognizing that environmental education and art are key to driving behavioral change, especially in new generations, Nestlé Waters created murals in the school that reflect the importance of water conservation and local biodiversity.
Takeaways
WASH projects are vital. They address fundamental human rights to clean water and sanitation while fostering sustainable development. They measurably improve local communities’ health outcomes, particularly for children. As 768 million people globally lack access to improved drinking water sources, Waterplan’s network of local implementation partners and technology for estimating water and community impact help companies like Nestlé Waters play a key role in bridging gaps where governments or local authorities may lack resources, ensuring healthier communities, better education outcomes, and improved economic opportunities for vulnerable populations.
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