Nestlé Waters North America's Stanwood, Mich., Bottling Facility Achieves Alliance for Water Stewardship Gold Certification

STANWOOD, Mich., Aug. 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA) is pleased to announce that its Stanwood bottling facility in Michigan has received Gold certification under the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) International Water Stewardship Standard, the company's second facility awarded this certification. Achieving advanced-level certification recognizes the additional effort and positive water stewardship outcomes that go beyond core requirements of the AWS Standard. NWNA remains the only company in North America with Gold-certified facilities. As the eighth Nestlé Waters facility to achieve AWS certification in North America, and the 19^th to receive certification globally, this is part of the company's commitment to certify all of its sites to the AWS Standard by 2025.

AWS is a global, member collaboration, comprised of businesses, non-governmental organizations and public sector groups, which is committed to local water resources through the adoption and promotion of a universal framework for the sustainable use of water. The AWS Standard is the first of its kind globally to promote best practices in water stewardship that benefit communities and preserve local watersheds, which are key priorities for Nestlé Waters North America.

"Nestlé Waters continues to set the bar for excellence in water stewardship performance. AWS Gold certification for their Stanwood site signifies their commitment to helping to ensure that the benefits of water stewardship reach the communities in which they operate," said Matt Howard, Director for the Alliance for Water Stewardship North America. "It's commendable that their water efficiency ratios at this plant are industry-leading, and the ground water modeling and water quality monitoring they do for the Mecosta region helps to ensure that their water stewardship performance creates shared value for stakeholders."

As part of the AWS certification process, auditors look at a number of factors within the catchment where a facility is located, such as water quality, the availability of existing water sources, and the health of water-related areas in the region. Additionally, AWS auditors identified and interviewed internal and external community stakeholders, as well as individuals within NWNA's Stanwood factory.

"Nestlé Waters North America is committed to sustainably managing our natural resources, and the AWS Standard is a very rigorous global water stewardship standard," said Alex Gregorian, Vice President, Head of Technical and Production, Nestlé Waters North America. "We are proud that both our Stanwood, MI and Cabazon, CA factories have achieved Gold certification under AWS, recognition of our exceptional efforts to help preserve and protect shared water resources and support the communities where we live and operate."

Since NWNA came to Michigan more than 17 years ago, the company has conducted extensive studies and regular monitoring of groundwater, surface water, and the local ecosystem. Data is regularly collected from multiple monitoring points and then used to help ensure that withdrawals are sustainable and preserve a healthy ecosystem for the long-term. Stanwood employees have engaged in site and catchment-level water stewardship initiatives, both individually and as collective action partners. They have worked to further water-related education and provide access to safe drinking water through product donations and building community wells. They have also helped to improve local water quality by participating in river clean-ups and contributing more than $2 million to the Ice Mountain Environmental Stewardship Fund (IMESF), which supports the long-term sustainability of the Muskegon River Watershed and its ecosystems by funding environmental conservation projects and programs throughout the watershed. This effort, along with other water stewardship achievements, were recognized by third-party auditors as going above and beyond the core AWS requirements.

"The Ice Mountain team has a long history of supporting our local communities and helping to improve the health of the Muskegon River Watershed," said Arlene Anderson-Vincent, Natural Resource Manager, in the Midwest for Nestlé Waters. "The AWS audit process, and achievement of Gold-level certification, is a testament to the hard work and outstanding results achieved by these collective actions."

SCS Global Services, a California-based global leader in third-party environmental, sustainability, and food quality certification, auditing, testing, and standards development, oversaw NWNA's certification. "AWS Gold is reserved for sites achieving advanced-level water stewardship activities, and the Site has engaged in both individual and collective actions. Results of these projects were reviewed during the audit process and confirmed through stakeholder interviews with groups such as the Muskegon River Watershed Assembly," said Stanley Mathuram, SCS Global Services Vice President. "SCS recognizes the Ice Mountain/Mecosta Team as a prominent leader and advocate for water stewardship in the Muskegon River Watershed."

In addition to the factory in Stanwood, MI, all of NWNA's California factories, including Ontario, Sacramento, Livermore, Cabazon, and Los Angeles, along with its Allentown, Pennsylvania factory have received AWS certification.

About Nestlé Waters North America 
Nestlé Waters North America offers an unrivaled portfolio of bottled water brands for healthy hydration, including Ice Mountain® Brand 100% Natural Spring Water, Nestlé^® Pure Life^® , Perrier and S. Pellegrino^®. The company also owns and operates ReadyRefresh^SM by Nestlé^® , a customizable water and beverage delivery service. Just Click and Quench^SM. 

Based in Stamford, Connecticut with approximately 8,000 associates located in North America, we manage natural resources for long-term sustainability, and we conserve nearly 21,000 acres of natural watershed area. We currently source water for our six regional spring water brands from 47 springs across North America. We are also committed to creating shared value and being a good neighbor in the 140 communities where we operate in the U.S. For more information, visit us at www.nestle-watersna.com/en and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook: @NestleWatersNA. Nestlé Waters North America is an affiliate of Nestlé Waters, the world's largest bottled water company. Nestlé Waters serves customers in 130 countries, with 52 well-known bottled water brands and is, in turn, a subsidiary of the world's largest food company, Nestlé, S.A, based in Vevey, Switzerland.

About the Alliance for Water Stewardship
AWS is a global membership-based collaboration that unites organizations behind its mission of promoting responsible use of freshwater in a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable manner. AWS achieves this through a global water stewardship system, centered on the International Water Stewardship Standard (the AWS Standard), that drives, recognizes, and rewards good water stewardship performance. The AWS vision is that water users and managers are responsible water stewards who protect and enhance freshwater resources for people and nature. The AWS Standard provides a globally-applicable framework for major water users to understand their water use and impact, and to work collaboratively and transparently for sustainable management within water catchment areas.

AWS has certified a total of 12 facilities in North America and 38 globally.

About SCS Global Services
SCS Global Services has been a global leader in third-party environmental and sustainability certification, auditing, testing, and standards development for more than three decades. Its programs span a cross-section of industries, recognizing achievements in green building, product manufacturing, food and agriculture, natural resource management, power generation, and more. SCS is now a leading AWS certification body, and the sole AWS-approved conformity assessment body in North America. SCS worked closely with AWS during the development stages of the certification program. SCS is based in Emeryville California, with representatives and affiliates around the world. Its broad network of auditors are experts in their fields, and the company is a trusted partner to many environmental NGOs due to its dedication to quality and professionalism. SCS is a Chartered Benefit Corporation, reflecting its commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practices.

SOURCE Nestlé Waters North America

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