Nestlé Vietnam and La Vie, two members of Nestlé in Vietnam, are helping their partners and tens of thousands of farmers save water while bringing clean and safe water to people in need.
Nestlé Vietnam and La Vie are supporting communities to use water in a sustainable way as part of efforts to collaborate with local communities for sustainable water management, helping ensure there’s enough water for today and for generations to come.
In particular, with its priority to preserve the natural purity of the mineral water and its heritage of water stewardship, many initiatives have been implemented by La Vie, tailored to the needs and water issues of individual stakeholders and locations.
As of today, La Vie is the only company in the country to have been granted worldwide Alliance for Water Stewardship certification for meeting the global benchmark for responsible water stewardship.
This is a globally-applicable framework that helps water users understand their water consumption and impact and work collaboratively and transparently for sustainable water management within their specific catchment area.
Helping communities to save water
In Vietnam, agriculture uses over 73 per cent of water consumption in the country, mainly for irrigation; industrial production accounts for more than 8 per cent. The country is not a water-stress hot spot in the world. It is, however, facing challenges by rapid urbanization, climate change and other factors. Therefore, water efficiency in sectors like agriculture is strongly encouraged.
Besides applying technical methods that help their water ratio reduce by over 30 per cent in the 2010-2021 period, the water-saving initiatives of Nestlé Vietnam and La Vie are being shared with their stakeholders in farming and manufacturing.
In particular, in Central Highlands, where freshwater scarcity is more and more severe, up to now, the NESCAFÉ Plan program that Nestlé Vietnam has launched since 2011 has helped nearly 35,000 coffee farmer households save 40-65 per cent of irrigation water while ensuring crop productivity.
The project also helps farmers reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides by 20 per cent, thereby improving soil quality and minimizing the risk of water pollution.
In addition, La Vie has provided technical support, helping its two business partners use water efficiently, with an estimated total water savings of 20 million litres per year, by reusing water in some stages of production, such as machine cooling.
Currently, La Vie supports Long An Water Supply Sewerage Joint Stock Company (LAWACO) to increase surface water treatment capacity by 40 per cent and reduce dependence on groundwater in the domestic water supply.
Safe water for the community in need
Over many years, La Vie has continuously increased its efforts to bring clean and safe water to a community. The company donated rainwater collection systems to help provide domestic water for about 120 people in Can Guoc district of Long An province, which is affected by severe drought and saltwater intrusion.
Last month, through the program “Clean water for schools” of the Sponsoring Association for Poor Patients of Ho Chi Minh City, La Vie had donated drinking water supply systems to 28 schools, providing safe water for nearly 10,000 people, or over 96 per cent of a total number of school students and teachers of Long An’s Tan Hung district affected by water acidification.
With a more substantial commitment, Nestlé will expand its current efforts to help create a positive water impact everywhere its water business operates by 2025.
Accordingly, Nestlé has announced the plan to deliver more than 100 projects around its 48 water sites globally, supported by a CHF 120 million investment, to help improve the water cycle. It is expected that its members in Viet Nam will carry out more initiatives towards this goal.