OUT OF THIN AIR: CREATING 100% RENEWABLE WATER

Beverage companies have been threatening groundwater levels of Indian cities for the longest time, creating a crisis for locals living in nearby areas. The article elaborates on how a modern-day scalable production model for 100 per cent renewable water can create a revolution in the beverage industry.

- 

In a recent stinging order issued in late February 2022, the National Green Tribunal has found the Coca-Cola Company, which runs a 'happiness factory', a museum that celebrates the company and its iconic soft drink in Greater Noida also operates on the premises of an actual Coke bottling unit run by an Indian company called Moon Beverages. It illegally used groundwater for at least two years from 2018 to 2020 - when the water table in the area was already critically low. Even after that, it continued to use the groundwater, which ultimately cost the company Rs 26 crores to compensate. Similar activities from companies like Nestle, Pepsi and many more have resulted in protests and demonstrations all over the globe.

The $2 trillion beverage industry has been highly unsustainable due to its heavy dependency on non-renewable sources like groundwater. It consumes more than 1500 billion litres of water per year, which not only contributes to the depletion of groundwater but also affects the life of the communities in those areas. Groundwater is cheap and loosely regulated, making it highly attractive to these beverage companies. The industry is growing, and so is its dependency on groundwater. Analysis of the water footprint of the top 20 beverage companies suggests that more than 45% of water is sourced from non-renewable groundwater by these companies.