SUSTAINABILITY Water stewardship as a strategic mandate If carbon is the current focus of regulation, water is the ultimate strategic risk. For beverage companies, water is both a primary ingredient and a shared resource under extreme pressure. Diageo has identified water as its“ most strategic climate risk”, leading to a target of 40 % improvement in water use efficiency in water-stressed areas by 2030.
The company’ s strategy involves mapping water use across the entire agricultural supply chain, integrating nature priorities into its regenerative programmes. This is not a solitary effort. As Ewan emphasises:“ At Diageo, water is the most important ingredient in all our products, our most strategic climate risk and for these reasons, a critical pillar in our Spirit of Progress goals. We view water stewardship not as a sideline – but as a business imperative and a shared responsibility that is key to our climate adaptation.“ But businesses can’ t do it alone. The water systems we so heavily rely upon are shared assets. They require shared solutions and scale.
“ Governments, businesses and communities can and need to work together to manage the world’ s most precious shared resource.”
Heineken’ s‘ Every Drop’ strategy mirrors this urgency, aiming for water neutrality in high-stress regions by 2030. This involves reforestation and wetland restoration to recharge local watersheds. For procurement teams, this means verifying that suppliers in vulnerable regions are adhering
120 April 2026