Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Platinum-Level certification is considered as the global benchmark for water stewardship
Bengaluru, December 8, 2022: ITC Limited’s Food Factory in Malur, Karnataka has earned the distinction of being the first Food facility in Asia to be awarded the AWS Platinum-level certification, the gold standard for water stewardship in the world. ITC’s state-of-the-art factory which produces noodles under the brand YiPPee!, was conferred the coveted certification in recognition of its responsible water management interventions. The factory has spearheaded development of integrated watershed development programmes for supply augmentation, demand side management by improving water usage efficiency in the catchment area of its operations as well as reduction of fresh water consumption within the Unit.
ITC’s 360-degree water stewardship programme is a part of the Company’s bold Sustainability 2.0 (S2.0) agenda articulated by Chairman Mr. Sanjiv Puri and is in alignment with the Government’s key water initiatives including ‘Jal Shakti Abhiiyan’ and ‘More Crop Per Drop’. ITC has earned the distinction of being the only global company of comparable dimensions to be water positive for over two decades. Going forward, the Company aspires to create rainwater harvesting potential equivalent to over 5 times the net water consumption by 2030 as a part of its S2.0 targets. ITC has also set a goal to achieve a 40% reduction in specific water consumption by 2030 as compared to the FY 2018-19 baseline. ITC has already committed itself to achieve AWS certification for 8 of its sites by 2024 and all its sites in high water stressed areas by 2035.
Commenting on this exemplary achievement, Mr Hemant Malik, Divisional Chief Executive, Foods Business, ITC Ltd said, “It is indeed a proud moment for all of us in ITC and we are deeply encouraged by this prestigious recognition for our efforts in achieving water stewardship. This significant milestone will further inspire us to scale up our initiatives to ensure water security for our stakeholders around our factories in line with the goals envisaged in the Company’s Sustainability 2.0 agenda.”
Aligned to ITC’s commitment to ensure ‘Water for all – today and tomorrow’, a comprehensive water conservation program has been undertaken both within the Malur Food factory and in the surrounding catchment area of 40250 acres, out of which, more than 75% is under agriculture. However, initially the factory faced challenges with regard to water availability in the area due to several factors like hard rock aquifer system, rapid urbanisation and change of agricultural patterns. This led to the Unit being largely dependent on tanker water. Understanding the criticality of the situation, ITC embarked on a water stewardship mission in the catchment, based on the recommendations from the groundwater assessment and detailed hydrogeological studies by external expert agencies. Accordingly, an integrated water management plan was initiated both within the Unit premises as well as in four watersheds surrounding the Unit.
