Diageo India Leads Water Stewardship Project
Diageo plc
In collaboration with SOURCE Global, PBC, Diageo India, the country's top beverage alcohol firm, introduced a first-of-its-kind water stewardship initiative.
The company's SOURCE® Hydropanels, a new technology that uses the sun to pull pure, always-renewing water vapour from the sky, will make high-quality water for Godawan, an artisanal single malt whisky made by Diageo India.
As the tech partner, SOURCE Global will build a 200-panel water farm in Alwar, Rajasthan. Initially, the installation is planned to produce 9,000 litres of water per month for the first six months before scaling up to create around 27,000 litres of water per month after a year. The initiative will help protect groundwater because SOURCE® comes from the clean, always-renewing water in the sky. Diageo India's artisanal single malt whisky Godawan, manufactured in Rajasthan's warm and dry Alwar area, will be the first drinking alcohol brand to employ SOURCE® water.
Because SOURCE® water is locally made, it reflects the unique terroir of the region. SOURCE® Hydropanels can also work without electricity or traditional piped water infrastructure. This reduces carbon emissions when potable water is treated and moved.
Hina Nagarajan, MD & CEO, Diageo India, said: “We have a responsibility to grow our business sustainably from grain to glass. Last year, we set a vision and commitment to building our Society 2030 programme, aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The innovative actions of our teams and partners will help us conserve groundwater considerably. Our partnership with SOURCE is aligned with the craft philosophy of born good, made good, and serve good. This is a step forward in our journey to be part of the solution in water-stressed geographies.”
“As the first company to use renewable water in an alcohol brand, Diageo India is serving the growing demand for premium, sustainable products in an incredibly unique and powerful way,” said Neil Grimmer, Brand President of SOURCE Global, PBC. “The world, especially in already water-stressed regions like Rajasthan, is now facing the harsh realities of climate change, and Diageo is leading the way toward a more secure and sustainable future. We are proud to partner with them.”
This programme is in line with Diageo India's Society 2030: Spirit of Progress Plan. The company recently released its first ESG Index, which highlighted the company's numerous initiatives during the year, such as creating a water replenishment capacity of 4,62,182 Cu.M annually and 84,000 litres of potable drinking water per day through its Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) programme. Through reforestation, wetland restoration, desilting ponds, and rainwater gathering, the company is trying to replenish more water than it uses in water-stressed sites across its operating locations in India.
Source: Diageo India
