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CONTEXT

We cannot deny the current water challenges our world is facing.


We are experiencing increased water scarcity, with demands for safe, usable water exceeding supply in many areas, including in Europe:

  • This increase in water demand is leading to a reduction of renewable water resources of 24% per capita in Europe1. 
  • Around 30% of the European population lives in areas with permanent water stress and up to 70% live in areas with seasonal water stress during summer2.

 

This situation entails severe risks for the population:

  • Nearly 95% of infrastructure loss and damage reported between 2010 to 2019 were due to water-related disasters3.
  • More frequent and intensive flooding has cost lives and livelihoods across Europe, while at the same time, more than 50% of the continent has, in recent years, been affected by extreme drought conditions, which also breed a range of negative social, economic and human outcomes4.
Learn more about current water challenges

OUR SECTOR'S RESPONSIBILITY AND AMBITION

UNESDA and its members are committed to addressing the growing threat of depleting water resources. 

We recognise the value of water as an essential component of a soft drink system/value chain: 

  • It is by far the main ingredient, representing over 90% of the drink
  • It is critical to ensuring a sustainable supply of the agricultural ingredients we depend on
  • It is an important resource in our production process to ensure the cleanliness of the installations and strict compliance with food hygiene and safety requirements
Explore why water is an indispensable resource for our planet and society

We also recognise our responsibility to accelerate our efforts to help address water stress, protect local watersheds and promote water stewardship. We want to support improving water availability, quality, access and governance.

Check out our members' actions

  • Improving community access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 
  • Improving water efficiency by reducing the amount of water used in production and reducing our water use ratio
  • Optimising water use by re-using and recycling water 
  • Replenishing the water used in our beverages and returning clean water to nature and communities 
  • Improving the health of watersheds and ecosystems
  • Promoting advanced water management practices, including  the installation of integrated water monitoring and management systems in the production process
  • Sustainable sourcing of ingredients
  • Supporting nature-based solutions to build resilience to floods and droughts
  • Working with suppliers and farmers so they use less water to grow ingredients
  • Preventing water pollution, including by ensuring that wastewater is treated in accordance with appropriate quality standards and by having eliminated the use of raw materials or auxiliary products that can cause persistent pollutants
  • Partnering with governments, NGOs, communities and other companies to share resources and take collective actions that create scale and advance innovation and science
  • Advocating for good water governance and smart water policies while engaging all stakeholders on responsible water use – including customers and consumers
  • A broad range of initiatives supporting the decarbonisation of our sector, with a positive impact on water security
Learn more about our sector's responsibility towards water


Key principles for water actions and policies in Europe

Europe needs to become a water resilient continent, or we will face unaffordable economic, environmental losses and social imbalances. We need to prepare, adapt and keep freshwater ecosystems healthy.

To do so, climate change actions must go hand in hand with strengthening Europe’s water security and supporting good water management and stewardship. 

The announced European Water Resilience Strategy in President von der Leyen’s 2024-2029 policy guidelines could help ensure sources are properly managed, scarcity is addressed, and that we enhance the competitive innovative edge of our water industry while enabling a circular economy approach. 

Our sector stands ready to work with the new EU Commission to advance this agenda and count on EU decision-makers to put water high on the political agenda. 

As we seek to achieve large-scale impact, collective action is critical. We cannot do this alone, and to achieve long-term change, we must work together. Tackling water issues is a shared responsibility and it is therefore paramount to engage multistakeholder forums.  

Any action should also have a clear focus on local impact for our communities and the local water cycles. Our work needs to be tailored to individual locations, needs and issues. 

To make progress on water security for all, we support policies that

  • Recognise the local dimension of the water issue and have a clear focus on the local impact for our communities and the natural ecosystems. Any action should be tailored to the local/regional context, needs and challenges, with enablers for collective action to scale water efficiency and replenishment activities that help strengthen the local water cycles. Rather than proposing a new legislation, the Strategy should provide guidance to Member States to allow context-based and meaningful water policies.
  • Put responsibility on all relevant actors, encouraging collective actions and partnerships and mandate proper water management schemes for every actor with a significant water footprint to drive on the responsible use and reuse of water by all.
  • Support healthy watersheds by protecting and restoring natural ecosystems, including by the recognition of interconnected nature-based solutions as part of replenishment activities. Such activities must be supported by a robust methodology that builds the business case for the co-benefits of investing in nature and help unlock relevant financing mechanisms.
  • Increase resilience to flooding and drought caused by the impacts of climate change via adequate finance flows that enable necessary investments, prioritizing nature-based solutions (such as wetland and river restoration) over technical infrastructure.
  • Are supported by provisions that require water users to measure their water usage, improve their water efficiency, and publish and report progress. 
  • Aim for a circular management approach whereby water can theoretically be infinitely recycled and reused, reducing the burden on natural water sources. This includes unlocking regulatory barriers for the reuse of water in production processes and allowing returning water to the local water cycle. Specifically, there is a need for a regulatory and infrastructure solution for the discharge of wastewater after water filtration processes, enabling the discharge of filtration wastewater or brackish in specific sewage or treatment systems.
  • Make more water available by promoting projects and programs increasing water availability and recognising the importance of water replenishment which includes nature-based solutions, work with the agricultural sector and non-conventional water sources like wastewater.
  • Support proper implementation by Member States of the EU Water Framework Directive to address both water quantity and quality (with a clear focus on addressing the root causes of contamination, based on the polluter pays principle and sound scientific evidence) and of the European Drinking Water Directive to address drinking water leakage from distribution networks.
  • Align climate adaptation with water resilience. To achieve long-term resilience, there needs to be an integrated legislative approach across climate, water and nature.
  • Fit the new EU simplification mantra by avoiding highly complex measures which will be impossible to implement due to the need to take into account the specificities of each water basin, product type, factory etc.
  • Support accurate water pricing which reflects the costs of water (including abstraction, purification etc), accounts for water leakage and incentivizes good water management practices.
  • Facilitate incubation activities and capability building (including through platforms and partnerships) to get good water management projects off the ground.

1 Water use in Europe — Quantity and quality face big challenges — European Environment Agency (europa.eu)

2 Water stress is a major and growing concern in Europe — European Environment Agency (europa.eu)

3 Water risks and resilience (undrr.org)

4 Risks and solutions: how climate change is impacting our water and health | European Environment Agency’s home page (europa.eu)Water risks and resilience (undrr.org)

Current water challenges

We cannot deny the current water challenges our world is facing. We are experiencing increased water scarcity, with demands for safe, usable water exceeding supply in many areas, including in Europe. 

  • Freshwater use has been growing by about 1% per year since the 1980s and as water demand is expected to continue increasing at a similar rate until 2050, this will account for an increase of 20 to 30% above the current level of water use1.
  • This increase in water demand is leading to a reduction of renewable water resources of 24% per capita in Europe2. 
  • Around 30% of the European population lives in areas with permanent water stress and up to 70% live in areas with seasonal water stress during summer3.
  • Europe’s aquatic ecosystems are severely degraded: only 17% of protected river, lake, alluvial, and riparian habitats are in good conservation status and 90% of protected wetland habitats are classified as poor or bad4.
  • Globally, 85% of wetlands have been lost in the last 300 years, with more than 50% lost since 19905. This is particularly critical as wetlands play an important role in filtering water and removing pollutants, as well as providing shelter to wildlife and capturing carbon.

 

This situation entails severe risks for the world’s population. 

  • For the last decade, the World Economic Forum has placed water-related risks among the world’s top five in its annual Global Risks Report. 
  • Water-related disasters have also dominated the list of disasters over the past 50 years and account for 70% of all deaths related to natural disasters6.
  • Nearly 95% of infrastructure loss and damage reported between 2010 to 2019 were due to water-related disasters7. 
  • More frequent and intensive flooding has cost lives and livelihoods across Europe, while at the same time, more than 50% of the continent has, in recent years, been affected by extreme drought conditions, which also breed a range of negative social, economic and human outcomes8.

A situation driven by a combination of factors

The deterioration of the natural water cycle stems from a confluence of factors: growing urbanisation, growing populations, increased consumption, poor management, pollution, lack of or damaged infrastructure, and climate change.  

Agriculture was responsible for 59% of total freshwater use in Europe in 20179, while industrial and domestic uses are the main drivers of increasing water demand. Indeed, as economies industrialise, populations urbanise and water supply and sanitation systems expand. 

Additionally, rising temperatures and more extreme weather patterns are causing more droughts and flooding. Climate variability is also bringing more uncertainty as to the availability, predictability and geographical distribution of water. Water and climate change are inextricably linked. From unpredictable rainfall patterns to shrinking ice sheets, rising sea levels, floods and droughts – most impacts of climate change come down to water (UN Water). 

1 Chart of Global Fresh Water Use 1901-2014 – The Global Education Project

2 Water use in Europe — Quantity and quality face big challenges — European Environment Agency (europa.eu)Chart of Global Fresh Water Use 1901-2014 – The Global Education Project

3 Water stress is a major and growing concern in Europe — European Environment Agency (europa.eu)

4 Europe’s state of water 2024: the need for improved water resilience | European Environment Agency’s home page (europa.eu)Water stress is a major and growing concern in Europe — European Environment Agency (europa.eu)

5 Innovative Solutions Needed for Wetlands in Crisis – SDG Knowledge Hub (iisd.org)

6 Water Resources Management Overview: Development news, research, data | World Bank Innovative Solutions Needed for Wetlands in Crisis – SDG Knowledge Hub (iisd.org)

7 Water risks and resilience (undrr.org)

8 Risks and solutions: how climate change is impacting our water and health | European Environment Agency’s home page (europa.eu)

9 Water scarcity conditions in Europe (Water exploitation index plus) | European Environment Agency’s home page (europa.eu)Risks and solutions: how climate change is impacting our water and health | European Environment Agency’s home page (europa.eu)

Water, an indispensable resource for our planet and society

Water is an indispensable resource for the security of our food, energy and economy. It is also critical to public health, biodiversity and the climate. 

Indeed, terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems provide invaluable services for climate mitigation, holding more carbon than the atmosphere. They are also invaluable for climate adaptation, acting as a buffer against the impacts of climate change and climate-related hazards. Moreover, many climate mitigation measures depend on freshwater resources and impact freshwater resources. 

Water, when managed sustainably and equitably, can also be a source of peace and prosperity. But, when water is scarce, polluted or difficult to access, food security can be undermined, livelihoods lost, and conflict can follow.

We should also not forget that safe drinking water and sanitation are basic human rights (UN). Without access to these services, a life of dignity, stability and good health is virtually impossible.

Water as a priority for the European soft drinks industry

Water is a priority for our sector because it is essential to our beverages and the communities we serve.  We recognise our responsibility to accelerate our efforts to help address water stress, protect local watersheds and promote water stewardship. 

As part of our responsibility, we acknowledge the business imperative of making efforts to mitigate climate change and reduce impacts on biodiversity. Indeed, climate change is exacerbating both water scarcity and water-related hazards (such as floods and droughts), as rising temperatures disrupt precipitation patterns and the entire water cycle (UNICEF). Our sector is determined to play its part in the fight against climate change by driving decarbonisation throughout its value chain. We have focused on reducing our environmental footprint over many years, with investments resulting in the reduction (and reuse, when applicable) of energy, carbon emissions, water and raw materials as well as actions to protect nature and reverse the degradation of ecosystems. Our sector is also continuously working to improve the sustainability of its packaging through packaging reduction, collection, recycling, reuse and refill.

It should also not be forgotten that water is a local issue and the actions we take must address the needs of the local watersheds where we operate and source our ingredients. We want to play an active role in helping to conserve water resources everywhere we operate are committed to collaborate with many partners to develop tailored projects that help find local solutions. Any action taken indeed needs to recognise the local dimension of the very complex water challenges.

We share the vision of the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) of a “water-secure world that enables people, cultures, business and nature to prosper, now and in the future” and we support their mission to “ignite and nurture global and local leadership in credible water stewardship that recognizes and secures the social, cultural, environmental and economic value of freshwater”.