Editor’s Note
This article highlights a significant achievement in sustainable water management. Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan’s Hakushu Plant has earned the AWS Standard’s Gold Certification, marking the company’s first facility to receive this international recognition for water stewardship.
Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Karin Dragan; hereinafter “the Company”) announces that its Hakushu Plant (Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture) has obtained the “Gold Certification” under the AWS (Alliance for Water Stewardship) Standard, an international certification for responsible water use and management (water stewardship). This is the first AWS certification for a Company plant.
The AWS Standard is an international framework for achieving responsible water use and management (water stewardship). It sets criteria to promote sustainable and responsible water use and management not only within facilities but also across entire watersheds through collaboration with stakeholders.
The Company is promoting water resource conservation with the goals of “30% reduction in water usage by 2030” and “maintaining a 200% water replenishment rate by 2025.” At its plants, the amount of water used for manufacturing is strictly managed, and manufacturing processes and plant equipment are continuously reviewed and improved, with targets set for reducing the Water Use Ratio (WUR) per liter of product produced. Furthermore, after identifying plant water sources through scientific surveys by specialized institutions and conducting the Coca-Cola system’s unique Source Vulnerability Assessment (SVA), Water Management Plans (WMP) are formulated, implementing disaster countermeasures and replenishment activities at the water sources. Additionally, site-specific water risks and vulnerabilities are compiled into Facility Water Vulnerability Assessment (FAWVA) reports based on detailed verification results, including risk response measures. These are utilized in the mid-to-long-term strategies of the Coca-Cola system in Japan for sustainable water resource conservation, reduction of flood impacts, and improvement of water use efficiency (Note 1).
The Hakushu Plant’s acquisition of the “Gold Certification” was comprehensively highly evaluated for various initiatives undertaken in collaboration with watershed stakeholders. These include reducing water usage in the manufacturing process, water quality management efforts based on the global Coca-Cola system’s common quality and operations management system “KORE (Coca-Cola Operating Requirements)” (Note 2), understanding the water balance of the surrounding watershed, predicting future impacts and trends, and addressing water use arising from the manufacturing process.
The Hakushu Plant primarily manufactures “I LOHAS Natural Mineral Water,” which uses 100% recycled PET bottles and a label-less package that simplifies material separation after drinking. At the Hakushu Plant, efforts to reduce water usage include introducing the “Electron Beam” sterilization system, which does not use chemicals. By sterilizing empty PET bottles without chemicals, daily water usage is reduced by approximately 400 tons per line compared to conventional systems. Furthermore, in July 2020, an agreement was concluded with Yamanashi Prefecture concerning forest conservation, etc. The Company has been developing and maintaining 282.6 hectares of prefectural forest located in the Hakushu Plant’s water source area as the “Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Hakushu Water Source Forest.” The water replenishment rate for fiscal year 2023 reached 124% (Note 3).
Location: 300-1 Shimo-kyoraishi, Hakushu-cho, Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture
Operation Start Date: October 1997
Site Area: 32,954 m² (9,986 tsubo)
Products: “I LOHAS Natural Mineral Water,” etc.
The AWS (Alliance for Water Stewardship) Standard is an international framework for achieving responsible use and management of sustainable water resources (water stewardship). The AWS Standard requires companies and organizations to understand their water usage and its impacts and address challenges across the entire watershed. It aims to achieve five key outcomes: good water governance, sustainable water balance, good water quality, healthy status of important water-related areas, and safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) for all. Organizations meeting the standard are certified at three levels: “Core,” “Gold,” and “Platinum.”
AWS Website: https://a4ws.org/
