BIER Celebrates World Water Day 2024

The importance of water cannot be underestimated. In the beverage sector, water is paramount. Beverage companies not only rely on water as an essential ingredient in each of their products, but also as a primary source for many of their production processes.

On a global scale, water can be a tool for peace when communities and countries cooperate over this precious shared resource. However, it can also spark and intensify conflict when access is denied and usage is unfairly shared.

This March 22nd, World Water Day 2024 is about working together to balance everyone’s needs, with a dedication to ensure no one is left behind, to make water a catalyst for a more peaceful world. Every year, World Water Day raises awareness of a major water-related issue and inspires action to tackle the water and sanitation crisis. This year’s theme is ‘Water for Peace,’ which focuses on the critical role water plays in the stability and prosperity of the world.

As BIER members are aware, when we cooperate on water, we create a positive ripple effect – fostering harmony, generating prosperity, and building resilience to shared challenges. The Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) has been the model of industry collaboration advancing water stewardship in the beverage industry for over 18 years. By leveraging the experience and technical expertise of its members, BIER has published guides and, tools to raise the bar for environmental performance and water stewardship best practices in the beverage industry.

Honoring World Water Day and encouraging others to take water action, BIER provides the following documents as aids to promote water stewardship and support the theme of making water a catalyst for a more peaceful world.

True Cost of Water Toolkit 3.0

Traditionally, the cost of water is calculated using the incoming water bill plus the sewer water bill. However, these costs may only represent 25-50% of the true cost of water for a facility, especially a manufacturing facility. The True Cost of Water Toolkit 3.0 includes all the costs associated with the use of water, including purchasing water, energy to heat, cool, and transport water, chemicals and other materials used to treat water, and discharge costs.

Learn more about the True Cost of Water Toolkit 3.0 and download a complimentary copy: https://bit.ly/TCWaterBIER

BIER's 2023 Water, Energy, and Emissions Efficiency Benchmarking Study

Recently BIER completed its 12th global benchmarking study – a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative analysis of water, energy, and emissions efficiency in the beverage industry. In its 12 benchmarking studies, BIER has evaluated 18 years of industry performance for nearly 2,000 facilities worldwide. The final results represent a comprehensive set of production, water, energy, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions metrics which are normalized, categorized, and analyzed by facility and beverage type.

Learn more about BIER’s 2023 Water, Energy, and Emissions Efficiency Benchmarking Study and download a complimentary copy: https://bit.ly/BIER2023Benchmarking

Additional support to bring actionable solutions in water conservation, replenishment, reuse and circularity can be found in the following guides.

• Water Circularity Good Practices Guide – This guide seeks to coalesce insights already developed by BIER and other leaders in the fields of water stewardship and circularity with the ever-important and necessary consideration of appropriate stakeholders.
• Water Replenishment Insights – The aim of this document is for companies to be better positioned to establish impactful collaborations and make meaningful investments in water replenishment initiatives that result in measurable impacts at the catchment level.
• Context-Based Decision Guide for Water Reuse and Recycling - Making context-based decisions on water actions and investments is not only a growing expectation by investors and other external stakeholders, but also logical from a business perspective to drive targeted, timely, and effective investments. This guide provides practical approaches, checklists, and best practices to corporate water management.
• Charco Bendito at World Water Week 2023 – In BIER’s World Water Week 2023 presentation, participants learned why and how global beverage and food leaders collaborated to develop and implement this innovative basin-level watershed initiative that addresses three main goals: water accessibility, quality, and availability.

World Water Day is about taking action to address the global water crisis. Join us in uniting around water and using water for peace, laying the foundations for a more stable and prosperous tomorrow.

About BIER

BIER is a technical coalition of leading global beverage companies working together to advance environmental sustainability within the beverage sector. Formed in 2006, BIER is a common voice across the beverage sector, speaking to influence global standards on environmental sustainability aspects most relevant to the sector, affect change both up and down the supply chain, and share best practices that raise the bar for environmental performance of the industry. By doing so, BIER is able to monitor data and trends, engage with key stakeholders, develop best practices, and guide a course of action for the future. BIER members include Anheuser-Busch InBev, Bacardi, Beam Suntory, Brown-Forman, Carlsberg Group, The Coca-Cola Company, Constellation Brands, Diageo, Heineken, Keurig Dr Pepper, LION, Molson Coors, Monster, Ocean Spray Cranberries, PepsiCo, and Pernod Ricard. For more information, visit www.bieroundtable.com.