Coca-Cola China announced on Wednesday that it met its 2020 water replenishment goal－with an independent third-party verification－at the end of last year.
Through a wide range of innovative initiatives and joint partnerships, Coca-Cola China replenished 17.1 billion liters of clean water back to nature and Chinese communities in 2014.
China is one of the first seven markets to have met Coca-Cola's global water replenishment goal.
As the world's first company to establish a 100 percent water replenishment goal as part of its 2020 vision, Coca-Cola also announced on Wednesday that the company and its bottling partners are on track to meet that goal, on a global scale, by the end of this year.
Since 2004, Coca-Cola has been implementing its so-called "3R" water strategy: to reduce, recycle and replenish.
The Coca-Cola system has replenished about 153.6 billion liters of water back to nature and communities through 209 water resource management and protection projects in 64 countries.
Based on an independent third-party verification of Coca-Cola's global water replenishment projects, the results of which were published in a company report this year, the company is balancing an estimated 94 percent of the water used in its finished beverages based on 2014 sales volume.
Coca-Cola said it has propelled about 20 water resource management and protection projects in China.
These local projects are diverse, covering such fields as source water protection, sustainable agriculture, water loss and soil erosion control, flood utilization, wetland protection and recovery, water reclamation and promoting mini-wetland technologies in rural areas.
In all, Coca-Cola said it has implemented water stewardship programs in 10 major river basins in China, including the Yangtze, Yellow, Huaihe, Haihe, Pearl and Songhua rivers.
Guangxi initiative
Coca-Cola's Guangxi Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative is a project that combines both sustainable agriculture and irrigation optimization.
The Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region is China's main sugarcane planting area, but droughts in recent years have significantly impacted sugarcane yields.
The project optimized local irrigation methods to achieve both economic and environmental goals, with efforts including adopting spray and drop irrigation, integrating water into fertilizer and piping treated nutrient-rich wastewater from sugar mills to nearby sugar farms. With these measures, water is conserved in line with an increase in sugarcane yields.
In addition, Coca-Cola has constructed facilities for local farmers to access safe drinking water.
Zhang Huaying, vice-president of sustainability for Coca-Cola Greater China and Korea said: "Through our 10-plus years of continuous efforts, we have achieved the milestone of a 100 percent water replenishment in China last year.
"We'd like to attribute the success to the Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Commerce and many local government agencies; our global partners, such as the United Nations Development Programme and the World Wide Fund for Nature; and our bottling partners across the country and organizations that share our vision.
"The protection of water resources has been prioritized in the coming years. We are keenly focused on further replenishing water as well as developing our business in China, and will continue to do our part for the Chinese communities."
Zhang noted that all of Coca-Cola China's water stewardship efforts take a long-term outlook for the needs of local communities.
He said Coca-Cola China employees are deeply involved in the execution of water protection projects.
"It's our planet, our water resources and our responsibility. Everyone involved in these projects feels the power of change," Zhang said.
Drink producer stirs up progress in China
Coca-Cola, one of the most recognized international brands in China, has 15 brands and offers more than 50 beverage flavors to Chinese consumers, who drink 140 million servings across the country every single day.
By the end of 2014, Coca-Cola invested $9 billion in China since its return to the country in 1979. With its 43 plants, Coca-Cola currently employs more than 45,000 people in China, 99 percent of whom are locals.
Coca-Cola and its bottlers have been actively supporting educational and philanthropic causes, promoting environmental protection and contributing to the development of local communities with a total contribution of over 270 million yuan ($43.6 million).
Coca-Cola is also the only company that has sponsored the Special Olympics, Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in Beijing, as well as the Shanghai Expo, Shenzhen Universiade and Nanjing Youth Olympics in China.
