BURLINGTON, Mass. and PLANO, Texas, US – In celebration of World Water Day, Keurig Dr Pepper yesterday strengthened its commitment to water stewardship across its value chain by joining the new Texas Water Action Collaborative (TxWAC), a coalition of industry, nonprofit and governmental organizations to benefit the quality and volume of water on the Trinity River in Texas, and announcing a new regenerative agriculture goal.
As part of its Drink Well. Do Good. corporate responsibility commitments, the Company announced on World Water Day a new goal to support regenerative agriculture and conservation on 250,000 acres of land by 2030. Keurig Dr Pepper will partner with key suppliers and farmers to achieve the goal, which represents 50 percent of the land used to grow the Company’s top climate-sensitive crops, including coffee, corn and apples. This new goal will accelerate the Company’s efforts to protect water resources within its supply chain, as regenerative agriculture practices contribute to improved water quality and quantity, while also supporting biodiversity and strengthening farmer economic resilience.
“Access to clean water is critical to the facilities that make our beverages, the communities in which we operate and the farmers that grow ingredients for our drinks. The new commitments we announced today advance our efforts to be good stewards of water across our value chain,” said Monique Oxender, Chief Sustainability Officer, Keurig Dr Pepper. “Our new regenerative agriculture goal is a positive step forward on our journey to ensure a long-term, sustainable supply of high-quality crops like apples and corn, by improving soil health for the famers who supply us. This unique, new collaboration in the state of Texas ensures we are mitigating against climate change and protecting water resources in our local communities.”
In addition to the new regenerative agriculture goal, Keurig Dr Pepper has existing, ambitious goals to improve water use efficiency in its operations by 20 percent by 2025, and to partner with its highest water-risk operating communities to replenish 100 percent of water used for its beverages in those communities by 2025. Through 2019, the company has replenished 73 percent of the water used for coffee and cold beverages in its highest water-risk manufacturing locations and has improved its water use efficiency by 4.4% from its baseline. The Company has established multiple partnerships to support its water stewardship and conservation efforts, including:
- Collaborating with the TxWAC. With several office, production and distribution facilities throughout Texas, including its co-headquarters in Frisco, Keurig Dr Pepper is committed to protecting the Trinity River basin, in partnership with key conservation organizations.
- Investing in a long-term partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), including supporting a series of ongoing innovative water stewardship projects in Texas, Mexico and California, where Keurig Dr Pepper has facilities. In 2020, projects included a novel model for environmental flows in the Trinity River watershed in Texas and a lease agreement for 444 million liters of water to help restore environmental flows during critical drought periods.
- Partnering for collective action with the Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER), the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) and the California Water Action Collaborative (CWAC). With other BIER members, KDP helped launch “Charco Bendito”, a first-of-its-kind, multi-year water stewardship initiative in Tlajomulco de Zuñiga, Mexico. With financial support coordinated through BEF, KDP joined 10 other businesses and philanthropic entities to increase water supply reliability for Arizona, Nevada, and California through a system conservation project. The Company also recently joined CWAC, a collaborative network of organizations that develop impactful conservation and restoration projects to improve water security in California.
To learn more about Keurig Dr Pepper’s Drink Well. Do Good. commitments and progress through year-end 2019, including in its supply chain, climate and water efforts, visit here. The Company will be publishing its 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report, highlighting its latest progress and new goals in new areas, on its website in June 2021.
