The purpose of the event of World Water Day 2023, which took place at WIT LUMS, was to promote sustainable management of water resources through public-private partnerships.
In keeping with its global vision to become Net Water Positive by 2030, PepsiCo Pakistan held an event today to commemorate World Water Day 2023 and share that the company is replenishing 100% of the water they use at their snack manufacturing facilities in the Sundar and Multan watersheds. Additionally, the business displayed a distinctive Water Stewardship Model Community that is being established in collaboration with the Worldwide Fund for Nature—Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan).
Technical support for the project will come from the Lahore University of Management Sciences’ Center for Water Informatics and Technology (WIT), and policy briefs for policymakers will be developed by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) based on the project’s lessons learned.
The purpose of the event of World Water Day 2023, which took place at WIT LUMS, was to promote sustainable management of water resources through public-private partnerships and increase awareness of the value of water and sanitation.
A thorough overview of PepsiCo Pakistan’s numerous water conservation initiatives was shared, including collaborations with a range of stakeholders, including the government, non-profits, academia, and policymakers.
Dr. Humera Saleem, a community leader who has played a significant role in leading community mobilisation for the Access to Safe Water programme supported by the PepsiCo Foundation and WaterAid in Humak, Islamabad, was also recognised by PepsiCo Pakistan.
The Water Stewardship Model Community project was introduced by WWF-Pakistan, SDPI, and WIT LUMS in addition to the CEOs of PepsiCo’s AMESA and Pakistan and Afghanistan regions, Eugene Willemsen and Furqan Ahmed Syed.
In order to provide a targeted intervention with positive results, the large-scale project will enable sustainable sewage water management and include WASH facilities in an underserved community in rural Punjab.
The model village will show the results of this collaboration for improved sanitation and replenishment, access to and stewardship of water resources, and the use of cutting-edge WASH and community-led total sanitation interventions (CLTS).
This model will demonstrate PepsiCo’s dedication to directly assisting communities within our watershed, which is consistent with the goals of our Alliance for Water Stewardship and Water Replenishment agenda.
Eugene Willemsen, CEO PepsiCo AMESA, highlighted the need for food producers to follow a Net Water Positive vision to ensure water resources are in a better state, achieve sustainable water security, replenish more water than we use, and support collaborative solutions to reduce water stress at the local community-level.
PepsiCo Pakistan’s tangible win is reflective of their accelerated water stewardship efforts in the region, reiterating their commitment to the people and the planet.
Syed M. Abul Hassan Kazmi, senior director of supply chain and office of sustainability at PepsiCo, highlighted the company’s focus on water protection and conservation across its value chain.
They have achieved 100% water replenishment in company-owned operations in the Sundar and Multan watersheds and continue to work on accelerated programs that focus on water conservation and access to safe water for communities.
Dr. Abubakr Muhammad believes that leveraging industry-academia linkages and information-driven technologies for water issues in Pakistan will accelerate transformation in water conservation and use. PepsiCo, WWF-Pakistan, and SDPI are collaborating to collect and visualize real-time data on critical interventions for community uplift.