Nestlé Waters & Premium Beverages (NW&PB) has become the first food and beverage company to secure 100% certification of all 39 of its bottling sites under the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Standard, positioning water governance as a core element of corporate risk management as climate volatility intensifies pressure on freshwater systems worldwide.
The milestone, announced ahead of World Water Day, underscores a shift from operational water efficiency toward watershed-level strategies that integrate environmental, social and business continuity considerations. Two facilities, Buxton in the United Kingdom and Tunuyan in Argentina, achieved Platinum certification, the highest level within the AWS framework.
The certification spans operations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America, and Asia, reflecting a multi-regional approach aligned with increasing regulatory scrutiny and investor expectations around natural capital and climate resilience.
“We are pleased to share these significant milestones today on AWS certification and water regeneration. Good water stewardship is part of our DNA and strong water resilience is a strategic imperative for our business. That is why we look to collaborate everywhere we operate to ensure we address any shared water challenges, now and for the future. This is something we have been working on for decades,” Muriel Lienau, CEO, NW&PB. “We remain committed to protect, restore and return water where we operate. Water resilience has a growing awareness on the international agenda and we know no one can achieve this on their own. By partnering with experts, local organisations and communities we know that collaboration at catchment level is the key for meaningful impact.”
Alongside certification, the company reported 70 active water regeneration projects globally, delivering 14.1 million m3 of water annually. These initiatives are measured using the World Resources Institute’s Volumetric Water Benefit Accounting methodology, providing a standardized framework to quantify impact and align disclosures with investor expectations.
The projects are implemented in collaboration with local stakeholders, including municipalities, farmers and conservation groups, and are designed to mature over time with the goal of returning more water to local systems than the company consumes in its operations. This reflects a broader shift in ESG strategies from mitigation to regeneration.
Nestlé is supporting this approach through targeted capital deployment in key markets. In France, the €25 million (US$29.07 million) Agrivair Garrigue program focuses on sustainable agriculture, biodiversity restoration and water quality improvements in the Gard region, home to Perrier and Maison Perrier. In Italy, the company is expanding its F.O.N.T.E initiative with an additional €40 million investment through 2030, building on a prior €30 million program to protect water basins, biodiversity and local communities linked to brands such as S.Pellegrino, Acqua Panna and Levissima.
The company also confirmed the extension of its partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which provides science-based guidance and aligns projects with the IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions.
“In an era of increasing resource volatility, where individuals and organisations are passionate about making a difference but don’t always know how, a global independent standard that includes an accessible, independent and practical framework for water stewardship and landscape protection is essential,” said Adrian Sym, Chief Executive, AWS.