Clean Water and Sanitation

Plastic pollution in the world’s oceans is one of the biggest threats to our environment and impacts more than 600 marine species. Discarded trash, mostly comprised of single-use plastic, accumulates in five ocean garbage patches, the largest of which is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch located between Hawaii and California.

Bacardi Limited, the largest privately held spirits company in the world, today announced the compilation of results of its environmental sustainability goals made in 2014 and expanded its “Good Spirited: Building a Sustainable Future” environmental initiative to now encompass the company’s entire Corporate Responsibility (CR) platform.

With the expansion, the Good Spirited platform now comprises Marketplace, which includes responsible marketing and responsible drinking, Philanthropy & Community Investment, People, as well as the initial focus areas of Responsible Sourcing and Environment. This commitment aligns family-owned Bacardi’s CR platform with most of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The cornerstone for effective water management is to know one’s impacts. GRI has released an updated standard on water and effluents, with an emphasis on water stewardship. Developed with a working group of highly accomplished water experts, the standard has a basis in the Sustainable Development Goals and represents the best practice in reporting on water across the value chain.

The lack of basic water sanitation is affecting several American communities, and organizations like LIXIL are pledging to step up and provide support and relief.

Whether beach strolling on the east coast of the United States or along Manila Bay, you can expect to see a sharp contrast between natural beauty and a spectacle of plastic waste. Sullied beaches are just one manifestation of an ecological crisis that continues to expand unabated as the hand-wringing and debate struggles to yield substantive commitments to address the waste challenge. Worldwide, 73 percent of beach litter is plastic, the ubiquitous material that benefits and harms our wellbeing in equal measures.

Schneider Electric, the global specialist in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, announced it joined the Corporate Renewable Energy Buyers' Principles, an initiative made up of 76 companies seeking to spur progress on renewable energy and achieve their sustainable energy goals.

As the world’s largest food and beverage company, Nestlé is committed to preserving resources for future generations. It aims to do so by reducing water use across its operations, using sustainably managed and renewable resources, and achieving its goal of zero waste. Ecolab’s Nalco Water business helped a Nestlé milk production plant in southeastern Brazil reduce energy use, water consumption and CO2 emissions.

SCS Global Services (SCS), together with Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) and several AWS certified organizations, including Nestlé Waters, Ecolab and Renmark, will host a special panel discussion during World Water Week to discuss the AWS standard and the value of independent certification as a global tool for driving and monitoring water stewardship at the facility-level.