One Coke, Hold the Water

Published on Monday, June 11, 2007, by Tea / Edit Post

Did you know that it takes 2.54 liters of water to make 1 liter of Coke? With the long-term future of our freshwater supply in question, the company is looking to reduce the amount of water that goes into its drink production—it has already brought it down from 3.14 liters. “I don’t see in the short-, or even in the medium-term, that it’s going to threaten our business, but in the long-term it is,” Chief Executive E. Neville Isdell told Reuters after a news conference on World Environment Day.

According to the Reuters article:

Drought, rising populations and overuse by industry and agriculture means that by 2025 two-thirds of the world could face a serious lack of water … Coke, which along with its bottlers used 290 billion liters of water for beverage production last year, has itself been accused in the southern Indian state of Kerala of helping to suck the water table dry.

To deal with this looming problem, Coke is setting water efficiency targets and will recycle all water used in manufacturing. It will also “expand support of local water preservation efforts, like harvesting rain water, reforestation and improving water efficiency in farming.” It’s teaming up with the World Wildlife Fund to implement some of these programs.

Call me cynical, but I can’t help feeling like this smacks of PR. I’m glad Coke (and Pepsi, as well) is making some changes, but it’s hardly an altruistic thing. The Coke bottling plant in Kerala has not operated in two years. As the Reuters article points out, “[Y]ou can’t work somewhere if the community thinks you are hurting the environment and hates you for it.”

’Cause sometimes “Have a Coke and a Smile” just doesn’t cut it.

ALLFood Media
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  • I wonder how many litres of water does it take to make wine and beer?

    I never drink coke unless Im shockingly hungover, and still then not always, because I don't want to give my pennies to the coca cola or pepsi companies, nor put sugary carbonated drinks in me - but i'd like to see what other drinks do to our water supplies... its easy to sit back and attack corporates when the best way to...+READ

    I wonder how many litres of water does it take to make wine and beer?

    I never drink coke unless Im shockingly hungover, and still then not always, because I don't want to give my pennies to the coca cola or pepsi companies, nor put sugary carbonated drinks in me - but i'd like to see what other drinks do to our water supplies... its easy to sit back and attack corporates when the best way to start is at home and not buy their products.

    Water.....now I must make mention the amount of swimming pools in one affluent suburb, lawn sprinklers, or water amusement parks. water decline is a serious issue years ago, what are we waiting for? a serious global drought seems to be the least it'd take for our modern so called civilised society to really take this on board, seriously - it should all stop now. look at what's already happening with our weather, and average people are still not taking it seriously, it seems like for them - its this fun new topic of global warming, "the weather is so strange, oh - i know, its global warming.. " - friend replies "uh-huh", and take a gulp on her coke.... water shortage is next. Then we will have to pay for it to come into our houses and the classest system will rise again, poor people will literally die, or worse still get so sick, that a new outbreak of infection will spread. I don't want to talk about recycling pee or bathing in dishwater! We must all consider water as the huge blessing it is each time we use or drink it!!-COLLAPSE