Mars Commits To Achieving Water Balance At 5 Sites By 2025

Multinational conglomerate Mars has made a commitment to achieve water balance at five manufacturing sites by 2025, which means that for every litre of water used at least one litre will be treated and reused.

The five sites that have been selected are all in water-stressed areas of Mexico, with training and infrastructure upgrades to be delivered at each plant as part of the plans to improve water efficiency and water circularity, which will help discharge treated wastewater to reduce water stress for local watersheds.

Estimates from the UN suggest that a third of the world’s population – that’s over 2.5 billion people – now live in water-stressed regions, with water scarcity expected to displace 700 million people by the early 2030s.

Mars now plans to work alongside other organisations to launch and expand projects that address water stress, with one of its major projects including the Charco Bendito water stewardship programme in central Mexico, which is boosting water regeneration by restoring land along waterways.

The company intends to use this approach at six other manufacturing sites in locations in Asia and Africa, with other sites due to be identified later down the line.

Its broader commitment where water is concerned is to eliminate unsustainable water usage across its operations and value chain, as set out in its Sustainable in a Generation strategy. To help achieve this, Mars has now mapped its total water use across the global supply chain and is training farmers to bring in processes that improve water efficiency.

Grant Reid, Mars’ chief executive officer, said: “Across the world, water availability is at a crisis point and it’s being exacerbated by the effects of climate change. It’s clear we all have a critical part to play in mitigating our impact on water supplies and protecting the health of global communities.

“At Mars, this includes working to eliminate unsustainable water use across our entire value chain and taking action to ensure we mitigate the impact of our operations on high water-stressed regions. Collaboration will be key and we’ll work with partners and local communities to deliver meaningful impact.”

Even the UK, with its famously damp climate, is expected to see water shortages in as little as ten years’ time, so it’s important that we all work together to mitigate the risks and reduce our reliance on mains water supplies.

There’s a lot that businesses can do to make a significant difference to their water footprint, whether that’s by switching water supplier, investing in rainwater harvesting systems, prioritising water leak detection and repair, or opting for automated meter readings. If you’d like to find out more about any of the above, get in touch with us today at SwitchWaterSupplier.com