Our water stewardship strategy includes a goal to replenish the water used in our beverages, where it is sourced from areas of water stress, by 2020. In Belgium, our SVAs have shown that we operate in areas of water stress in the Scheldt River Basin, near our Antwerp and Gent facilities. To address these risks, in 2014, we partnered with the Coca-Cola Company to leverage $371,000 in funding from the Coca-Cola Foundation on a 5-year river replenishment project with Natuurpunt. The project aims to restore the Stappersven Lake, part of the 3,750 hectare De Zoom-Kalmthoutse Heathland Park, considered one of Europe’s top nature reserves. The site is an area of fen (wetland) and heath (dry sandy land) approximately 20 km north-east of Antwerp and straddling the border with the Netherlands. It is a Ramsar and Natura 2000 site. The partnership project aims to restore fens, inland dunes and heathlands; and replace previously planted foreign species with more indigenous trees. The work aims to improve groundwater levels by improving rainwater penetration rates. In 2016 we replenished 30,000 m3 of water in Belgium.

Project Results

(Incomplete)