Ashish Joshi, Chief Executive Officer of Suntory PepsiCo Việt Nam Beverage. Photo courtesy of the company

Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverage is celebrating 10 years of the 'Mizuiku – I Love Clean Water' programme, a pioneering initiative that has reached nearly one million students and improved access to safe water for millions across Việt Nam. Chief Executive Officer and General Director Ashish Joshi shared with Việt Nam News the company’s sustainability journey, achievements in water conservation and long-term commitment to the market.

Congratulations on the 10th anniversary of the 'Mizuiku – I Love Clean Water' programme. How do you reflect on this milestone?

This anniversary is a proud milestone for Suntory PepsiCo. Mizuiku was first launched by Suntory in Japan in 2004 as an education programme designed to nurture awareness of water and its conservation among primary school children.

In 2015, Việt Nam became the first country outside Japan selected to implement the programme, under the name 'Mizuiku – Em yêu nước sạch.' That decision recognised both Việt Nam’s importance as a market and the country’s unique challenges in ensuring safe, sustainable water resources.

Over the past 10 years, Mizuiku has reached almost one million students, trained 16,000 teachers to become true 'inspirers' and built or upgraded nearly 200 clean-water facilities.

But beyond the numbers, what makes me proud is the impact on awareness. Mizuiku has introduced children to the value of water and inspired them to care for nature, while empowering teachers as multipliers of this knowledge. That lasting awareness is the foundation of sustainability.

What are the key factors behind Mizuiku’s success in Việt Nam?

A defining factor has been the public–private partnership model. From the beginning, the Ministry of Education and Training has been our critical partner. In 2023, we achieved a major breakthrough when the ministry approved Mizuiku’s educational content as part of the official primary-school curriculum nationwide.

This gave the programme both impact and scale. In 2025, we also expanded through collaboration with the Vietnam Forestry Administration - Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. Together, we launched 'Nature Expedition with Mizuiku' – the first public–private outdoor education programme in Việt Nam linking forest conservation with water education.

The second success factor is the comprehensive education model. Mizuiku combines classroom learning with practical outdoor experiences, encouraging children not just to study about water but to see, feel and experience its importance. It is about awareness, action and access.

The third factor is localisation. While Mizuiku reflects Suntory’s global philosophy, it has been tailored to Việt Nam’s context, from teaching materials to community projects. This makes the programme meaningful and relevant for Vietnamese children and communities.

Mizuiku is described as a flagship model of sustainability. What makes it unique?

What sets Mizuiku apart is its long-term, scalable model. It is not a one-off social responsibility activity, but a programme built with a sustainable model embedded in our business philosophy of 'Growing for Good.' 

The model is built on three pillars: Raising awareness – through in-school education to nurture children’s understanding of water conservation; Call to action – through outdoor learning, encouraging students to connect with forests and nature and to act as protectors of the environment; Enhancing access – by improving clean-water facilities for schools and communities in need.

Students join a learning and experience trip in Bến Tre. Photo courtesy of the company

At the same time, we train teachers as 'knowledge multipliers,' ensuring impact continues beyond a single classroom or school year. This creates a ripple effect across generations.

That is why, after a decade, Mizuiku has grown from a humble beginning with some classes in 2015 into a nationwide programme recognised by government ministries. It is a model that delivers not only environmental benefits but also stronger communities and a culture of sustainability.

Looking ahead, what are Suntory PepsiCo’s priorities for the next phase of Mizuiku in Việt Nam?

Our priorities are both about breadth and depth.

In terms of breadth, we are scaling up significantly. By 2030, Mizuiku aims to educate five million pupils globally, Vietnam continues to be the key contributor to this program reach. It is ambitious but reflects our determination to expand the positive impact of Mizuiku.

In terms of depth, we want to go beyond the classroom. Learning must be experiential to be lasting. That is why we introduced the outdoor education component with support from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

I had the opportunity to attend one of the first sessions of “Nature Expedition with Mizuiku” a few months ago and it was truly inspiring. The park staff had an extraordinary depth of knowledge and the way they engaged the children was remarkable. The students were not only learning about water but experiencing the forest and connecting emotionally with nature. That kind of hands-on learning leaves a profound mark and I believe it will help shape a generation of environmentally responsible citizens.

This immersive approach is crucial because sustainability is not just about knowledge but about shaping values and behaviours. We believe Mizuiku will have a multiplier effect: today’s students will grow into tomorrow’s leaders and custodians of the environment.

The Mizuiku programme helps connect people with forests and change perceptions about learning through nature in Việt Nam. How does Suntory PepsiCo evaluate the return on investment from this programme, particularly in terms of its long-term impact and value?

At Suntory PepsiCo, we do not view Mizuiku through the lens of a traditional return on investment calculation. Led by our vision of 'Growing for Good,' our philosophy has always been to create value not only for the company but also for society and the environment. This has been part of Suntory’s DNA since the very beginning in Japan.

Water is at the heart of everything we do — it is the foundation of all our products from tea to soft drinks to spirits. As a business sustained by this gift of nature, we have a deep responsibility to protect and nurture the ecosystems that provide it. Forests, rivers and watersheds are critical for ensuring water security, which is why connecting people, especially children, with nature through Mizuiku is so important.

When we invest in water education and forest conservation, we are contributing directly to society while also safeguarding the future of our own business. The truth is, the financial cost today is very small compared to the long-term value, the societal and environmental values that Mizuiku brought about to the whole society and our company: the assurance that clean, reliable water will be available for generations to come. That is absolutely vital for the survival of our company and for the well-being of communities.

So, for us, the 'return' from Mizuiku is twofold: it reflects our philosophy of growing by doing good and it secures the sustainability of the very resource that sustains us. This is why we consider education and conservation not as expenses but as investments in a resilient future for both Việt Nam and Suntory PepsiCo. — VNS