The prestigious AWS certification is a testament to Diageo India’s continued commitment to driving water stewardship, aligned with its Society 2030 ESG action plan.
New Delhi: 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 certificationisa testimony to Diageo India’sprogressive water stewardship initiativesin 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 37000cubic 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 of 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 Rajasthan’s warm and dry Alwar region, will be the first beverage alcohol brand to use SOURCE® water.
Adrian Sym, CEO of Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) said, “Water stewardship identifies and tackles the complex challenges of sustainable water use. The AWS Standard and certification provide a pathway for water stewardship and can be used by any business in any industry worldwide. 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 the 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.”
About Diageo India
Diageo India is the country’s leading beverage alcohol company and a subsidiary of global leader Diageo Plc. The company manufactures, sells and distributes an outstanding portfolio of premium brands such as Johnnie Walker, Black Dog, Black & White, VAT 69, Antiquity, Signature, The Singleton, Royal Challenge, McDowell’s No1, Smirnoff, Ketel One, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan and Godawan, an artisanal single malt whisky from India. Headquartered in Bengaluru, our wide footprint is supported by a committed team of over 3000 employees, 39 manufacturing facilities across states and union territories in India, a strong distribution network and a state-of-the-art Technical Centre. Incorporated in India as United Spirits Limited (USL), the company is listed on both the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India.
About Alliance Water Stewardship
The Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) is a global membership network of businesses, NGOs and public sector organisations working together to conserve the world’s water resources. AWS provides a sustainability framework – the AWS Standard – that helps farms, factories and other water-using sites to take credible, verifiable actions to protect water resources, now and in the future.
