National/Rajasthan: Diageo India, the country’s leading beverage alcohol company earned the prestigious Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) certification for its Alwar distillery in Rajasthan. It is the first spirit distillery in Asia to receive the coveted AWS certification. The AWS International Water Stewardship Standard (AWS Standard) is a sustainability framework that helps farms, factories and other water-using facilities to take credible, verifiable actions to protect water resources. The AWS Standard is intended to drive social, environmental and economic benefits at the scale of a catchment.
Diageo’s Alwar site has achieved this by understanding shared catchment water challenges including water risks and opportunities while addressing these challenges in a way that progressively resulted in five outcomes, namely good water governance, sustainable water balance, good water quality status, important water-related areas, safe water sanitation and hygiene for all (WASH).
This core AWS certification is a testimony to Diageo India’s progressive water stewardship initiatives in the water-stressed region of Alwar.
Aligned to Diageo’s ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress’ ESG action plan, the company has undertaken initiatives in Alwar such as reducing water use in its operations, replenishing over 37000 cubic meters of water, improving access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene in communities, reaching out to more than 200 households, constructing check dams on the Ruparail river under collective action to improve the availability of water for productive use and groundwater recharge.
Hina Nagarajan, MD & CEO, Diageo India said, “This certification is a global benchmark for water stewardship and is a recognition of our sustainable water management practices in Alwar, Rajasthan. We are proud to be the first beverage alcohol company in India to get this certification, and it further strengthens our commitment to finding innovative solutions to the pressing water concerns in India under our Society 2030 agenda.”
Diageo India recently strengthened its water conservation efforts in Alwar through an industry-first water stewardship initiative in partnership with renewable water technology innovator, SOURCE Global, PBC. As the technology partner, SOURCE Global is building a 200-panel water farm which is expected to generate 9,000 litres of water from air within the first six months. With SOURCE® drawing pure and constantly replenished water in the sky, the project will save groundwater. Godawan, Diageo India’s artisanal single malt whisky, produced in the warm and dry Alwar region of Rajasthan, will be the first beverage alcohol brand to use SOURCE water.
Adrian Sym, CEO, Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) said, “Water stewardship identifies and tackles the complex challenges of sustainable water use. The AWS Standard and certification provides a pathway for water stewardship, and can be used by any business, in any industry around the world. Through the AWS certification of their Alwar distillery in Rajasthan, Diageo India has set an example for the beverage and other industries in taking credible, verifiable corporate action on water. As the third site in India to achieve AWS certification, they are one of the very early adopters of the AWS Standard in India among more than 250 AWS certified sites globally.”
