Coca-Cola launches water conservancy campaign with WWF

BEIJING (AP) - The Coca-Cola Co. announced Tuesday it is funding a US$20 million project to conserve seven major rivers worldwide, and to revamp its bottling practices to reduce pollution and water use.

Under the program, Coca-Cola will try to make up for the 290 billion liters (76 billion gallons) of water it uses each year to make Coke, Sprite, Fanta and its other bottled drinks.

To do so, Coca-Cola will recycle factory wastewater, reduce the amount of water used in the manufacturing processes _ like rinsing, heating and cooling _ and contribute to river conservation projects, the Atlanta, Georgia-based company said in a statement.

"Water is integral to everything that we do," Coca-Cola Chief Executive Officer E. Neville Isdell said in an interview in Beijing. "We need to think holistically about the availability of water in broad terms for the ongoing sustainability of our business."

The campaign was announced at the conservation group World Wildlife Foundation's annual meeting, being held this year in Beijing.

Though Isdell played down the China connection, water is a major problem for the Asian country. Scarce across much of its north and polluted and overused elsewhere, water could constrain China's future development if not effectively managed, environmentalists say.

Coca-Cola is joining a wave of major multinational companies in funding social and environmental projects across China.

The main part of Coca-Cola's conservation effort will be the US$20 million project with the WWF to protect sections of major rivers in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia.

The company also plans to eventually set targets to improve water efficiency for its water-thirsty agricultural partners, including sugar cane producers, the statement said.

Carter Roberts, president of WWF, said he hoped more companies would follow Coca-Cola's "commitment to water neutrality."