Xylem Named 2015 Winner for U.S. Chamber Foundation Corporate Citizenship Award

Xylem Inc, a leading global water technology company dedicated to solving the world’s most challenging water issues, has been awarded the 2015 Corporate Citizenship Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USCCF) for the Best Health and Wellness Program

The award recognizes Xylem’s work to provide sustainable access to water, sanitation and hygiene (W.A.S.H.) solutions to many of the world’s most vulnerable communities. In its 16th year, the USCCF Corporate Citizenship Awards honor businesses for their significant positive impacts in communities around the world. The winners were announced on October 6 at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Xylem, through its corporate citizenship and social investment program, Xylem Watermark, partners with best-in-class nonprofit partners to build and improve W.A.S.H. infrastructure to meet the needs of hundreds of thousands of people in nine countries. These projects include the construction of new water systems, renovation of washrooms and sanitation blocks, repair of hand-washing facilities, and the building of gravity-fed water towers and water cisterns in schools and communities. Xylem Watermark has collaborated with Water For People, China Women’s Development Foundation, Planet Water Foundation and Fundación Avina to execute 740 W.A.S.H.-related projects in the past seven years.

“W.A.S.H. education programs and access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene are critical building blocks to sustainable human and economic development,” said Colin Sabol, Chairman of the Xylem Watermark Committee. “We are especially proud to receive this award because it highlights our program’s results and the impact our programs have on local communities.”

Xylem Watermark and its nonprofit partners develop customized programs to increase broad adoption of smarter W.A.S.H. practices by communities in need. Dynamic curricula have been established in partnership with Planet Water Foundation and are deployed to teach schoolchildren about germs through games and coloring books – empowering students to become W.A.S.H. teachers for their families and communities. A recent Planet Water Foundation impact report noted that participants in the curriculum in India experienced an 80% decrease in diarrheal episodes versus a 27% increase among children not participating in the program. Likewise, Water For People uses a “train-the-trainer model” to engage local leaders to act as role models and mentors within their communities. Xylem also encourages its employees to make their mark through global and regional volunteer trips, where they participate in fieldwork in communities with nonprofit partners, becoming advocates for global water solutions.

Source: Market Watch

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Taxonomy

• Water & Sanitation
• Water Stewardship
• Solutions