Photo by Aunul Fauzi
To help meet its goals for achieving a water-resilient value chain and net-positive water impact in water-stressed regions, apparel retailer Gap Inc. has implemented innovative partnerships such as one with Arvind Limited, a textile manufacturer based in India. Through this partnership, an Arvind denim manufacturing facility operates fully with reclaimed water, saving an estimated two billion litres of freshwater annually.
Food and beverage multinational PepsiCo aims to have seven million acres—approximately equal to 100% of land used to grow key crops and ingredients for its products—adopt regenerative agriculture by 2030. The company will spread regenerative farming techniques that improve and restore ecosystems by building soil health, reducing carbon emissions, enhancing watershed management, increasing biodiversity, and improving farmer livelihoods.
Another core expectation of the Valuing Water Finance Initiative is for companies to protect and restore watersheds. We already see this as a water stewardship practice for some companies. French foods producer Danone, for example, has committed to developing preservation or restoration plans by 2030 for the 55 watersheds located in the water-stressed areas where it operates. Danone’s work includes a project in Indonesia’s threatened Rejoso watershed where, with its Ecosystem Fund and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), it’s applying nature-based solutions to improve water conditions, mitigate flood risks, and minimise erosion.
