The 10th Anniversary of the “Nestlé Waters Cares for Water” Project Achieving the Goal of Regenerating Clean Water for Communities and Enhancing Biodiversity while Becoming a Model in Thailand
Nestlé (Thai) Ltd. has announced the 10th anniversary of its “Nestlé Waters Cares for Water” project at the Khanom Jeen canal in Ayutthaya Province. Nestlé Pure Life has been dedicated to this initiative since the beginning, with a comprehensive approach to sustainable water stewardship focusing on three key pillars: Educate, Protect, and Restore. The project has successfully achieved its goals by regenerating both the quantity and quality of water for the communities, while also enhancing biodiversity for the benefit of the Khanom Jeen canal community. The project was recently selected as a pilot site for the implementation of Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) for terrestrial and inland water areas in Thailand.
Mr. Chaiyong Sakulborrirug, Business Executive Officer - Water Business Unit, Nestlé (Thai) Ltd., said, “Over the past 10 years, the ‘Nestlé Waters Cares for Water’ project by Nestlé Pure Life has demonstrated Nestlé’s commitment to creating shared value and driving positive impact for both Thai society and the environment. One of our major goals is to achieve Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, with Water Stewardship being one of the four key initiatives to help us reach this target. We are proud of the outcomes of our project at the Khanom Jeen canal, which has helped restore the area’s ecosystem, benefiting the local community. We remain dedicated to continuing this project to sustainably preserve water resources for generations to come.”
Dr. Watcharaporn Tantipanatip, Faculty of Science and Technology at Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya Rajabhat University, said, “We have observed significant improvements in biodiversity in the Khanom Jeen canal with the implementation of Nestlé’s project over the past 10 years. There are clear signs of better water quality, making it more conducive to life, and an increase in the variety of aquatic species. Populations of clams and various species of fish that were previously absent from the Khanom Jeen canal have been steadily returning and their numbers expanding. This reflects the deep interconnection within the ecosystem and the restoration of a complete food chain, both of which play a crucial role in creating a sustainable balance and biodiversity for the area.”
10 Years of the “Nestlé Waters Cares for Water”: A Comprehensive Water Stewardship Model
The “Nestlé Waters Cares for Water” project began with the philosophy of conducting business in a way that creates value for both society and the environment. Since starting in 2015, the project has evolved into a sustainable and comprehensive approach to water stewardship through three key pillars: Educate, Protect, and Restore. Various activities have been implemented to address all aspects of water stewardship.
1. Educate – Building Awareness and Knowledge for Sustainable Water Resource Management
This activity focuses on raising awareness and providing education about sustainable water conservation. The journey began in 2015 with the Youth Water Guardian project, a competition of water conservation plans for schools in Ayutthaya Province. Saklee Witthaya School was the winner and chosen as the pilot school. The Learning Center was later established at the Saklee Witthaya School in 2018 to serve as a hub for knowledge sharing and to promote integrated water conservation efforts. In celebration of the project’s 10th anniversary, Nestlé has renovated the Nestlé Waters Cares for Water Learning Center to include education on biodiversity in addition to water conservation.
2. Protect – Reducing and Preventing Waste in Water Sources
Nestlé has raised awareness about the importance of preventing waste and safeguarding water sources and through the Community Waste Market initiative. In collaboration with Wongpanit, Nestlé Pure Life has turned waste into a source of income for local villagers. Over 16 tons of recyclable waste have been collected and integrated into the recycling system. Recently, a waste bank was introduced at Saklee Witthaya School to promote proper waste management, encourage recycling, support the circular economy, while generating income for both the students and the local community.
3. Restore – Improving Water Quality and Enhancing Ecosystem Biodiversity
Nestlé is dedicated to biodiversity restoration through a variety of initiatives such as the “Nestlé Rak Nam, Releasing Fish into the Canal,” which involved creating ponds to conserve rare local fish species that were released back to the canal such as Armed Spiny Eel, Spotted Spiny Eel, Indian Loach, and Whisker Sheatfish. Nestlé also supports planting aquatic plants including water Horn Nut, Water Primrose, Water Lily, and Pandan Leaves. To mark the project’s 10th anniversary, 100,000 giant freshwater prawn larvae were released into the Khanom Jeen canal to help further enhance the ecosystem and biodiversity.
Over the past decade, Nestlé Waters Cares for Water project has partnered with schools, local communities, administrative organizations, and both public and private entities. This includes the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP), Royal Irrigation Department, Department of Fisheries, WWF Thailand Foundation, Wongpanit, and Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya Rajabhat University, to continuously maintain and restore the Khanom Jeen canal’s ecosystem.
Tangible Results, Becoming a Model for Thailand.
“With the comprehensive efforts under the Nestlé Waters Cares for Water project, the water in the Khanom Jeen canal has significantly improved, becoming much cleaner with better quality. Local villagers can now use the canal for activities such as traditional fishing and growing aquatic plants to support their living and livelihoods. The project also helps revitalize the canal as a community route. This comprehensive restoration effort clearly demonstrates how the project has contributed to sustainable living with a clean source of water. The project has also allowed Nestlé Waters to meet its goal of achieving 100% water regeneration, ensuring that the same amount of water we use in our drinking water business is replenished back into nature and the community. By the end of this year, we will have regenerated over one million cubic meters of water,” added Mr. Chaiyong.
Recently, the Nestlé Waters Cares for Water project by Nestlé Pure Life has achieved an international biodiversity conservation standard by being selected as a pilot area for biodiversity conservation outside protected areas (Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures: OECMs) for terrestrial and inland water areas in Thailand.
The next step for the project will focus on further enhancing the biodiversity in the Khanom Jeen canal in Ayutthaya Province and encouraging local communities to continue a leading role in the protection and restoration of the canal. The project will further expand to the beginning and end of the canal to increase the number of communities participating in the project to ensure the long-term success, using the three main approaches of ‘Educate, Protect, Restore’ to enable sustainable management of the water resources for generations to come.
