Dive Brief:
- Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. have both made strides toward better water conservation in the production of their multi-billion-dollar beverage enterprises, but Fortune examined which company conserved water better.
- Coca-Cola has set a goal to return 100% of the water it uses back to nature by 2020. In 2014, the company hit 94%, closing in on its 2020 goal, and the company believes it will achieve this goal ahead of time, by the end of this year.
- PepsiCo set a goal to improve efficiency of water use in its operations by 20% in terms of production unit compared with 2006 levels. PepsiCo met its goal ahead of schedule, including conserving 3.7 billion gallons in 2013 alone, which also saved the company $15 million.
Dive Insight:
Fortune declared Coca-Cola as the winner of this match, though both are making concerted efforts when it comes to both water conservation and sustainability.
Instituting more sustainable operations can help bolster the reputation of a company. By becoming more sustainable, this can mean introducing more efficiencies into the supply chain, such as using less water or reusing water for the manufacturing of other products.
Nestle announced plans earlier this year that it would dedicate $7 million to reduce the company's water consumption in drought-stricken California, though it saw criticism about its bottling operations there. The company also converted one of its dairy plants in Mexico into Nestle's first "zero water" facility.