Bottled Water Industry Releases 'Best Practices' Guidance

Taking another proactive step to promote responsible water stewardship and sustainability, the bottled water industry has released a water-use best practices guidance document.

The purpose of the report is to help ensure that the producers of America’s healthiest and favorite packaged beverage continue their successful efforts to be good stewards of the environment, the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) announced today. 

 “For years, bottled water manufacturers have implemented rigorous water stewardship practices in order to protect, maintain, and preserve their water resources,” says Joe Doss, IBWA president and CEO.

“The bottler members of IBWA have now shared their best practices with us and this document provides a comprehensive framework for water stewardship for the bottled water industry.” 

The IBWA Best Practices Framework Guidance document was produced by Antea Group (an independent third-party consultant) based on a water stewardship and best practices survey, key points from the Ceres Aqua Gauge™ framework, and common best practice examples from beverage industry experts.

Antea Group collected data from 86 IBWA member plants representing 31 companies that account for approximately 70 percent of the annual bottled water produced in the U.S., by volume, says Mr. Doss. 

The best practices framework is presented in five topic categories: 

• equipment check/process controls 
• meter use/water mapping 
• water recycling/reuse 
• training/education 
• supply monitoring/management 

It is designed for all bottled water companies to use—regardless of production size, location, and/or development stage of their water stewardship program. Key aspects of each best practice were divided into three approach categories: initial, advanced, and leading, he said. 

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