Companies Care About Water

Access to water is one of the impending crises of our time. In the developed world, where bottled water lines store shelves and where what comes out of the tap is perfectly fine to drink, it’s difficult to imagine a world where water is a scarce resource.

We all know (or should know) that this is a reality for many people in the developing world. But, more and more, as our high-tech manufacturing relies on water to produce the things we all need, water will be high demand. The costs to purify and transport water will continue to increase, making companies get creative and smart about how they make use of water in their production process. And, it will continue to put the onus on us consumers to conserve water as much as possible and to seek out products that have a low water footprint.

But from the looks of things, it seems that more and more companies are taking this initiative to use less water. This is mainly due to the rising cost of water, but it also comes at a time when more and more consumers are aware of how much water is “in” a product, as well as the notion that conserving water is great for the planet.

Five companies using less water

1. Levi’s now makes a pair of jeans that uses less water in the manufacturing process. This, in turn, means the jeans can be laundered differently on your end, so that you use less water at home to clean them.
2. Ford is aiming to decrease the amount of water it takes to make a car. The company wants to use 30% less water per vehicle by 2015. In the last decade, Ford saved over 10 billion gallons of water, so here’s hoping they can continue that trend with each car they make.
3. Molson Coors, the beer company, wants its customers to save water. This is why they launched an interactive online tool to help anyone conserve water in their everyday lives. The company itself has set a goal to decrease its water use by 15% this year.
4. And, in addition to cutting its water use by 20% in 2012, Coca-Cola is also working to protect watersheds. The company has also made an effort to support sustainable water practices in its supply chain, meaning less water is used to grow the ingredients needed in soft drinks.
5. Here at Cool People Care, we use Friendly Arctic Printing and Design for our T-shirt printing. They use inks that require less water to clean up, resulting in a huge water savings during the printing process and post-printing process.

Using less water is a goal worth pursuing, both for individuals and companies. Working together to raise awareness about the growing water crisis means more shoppers will be aware of what’s at stake, and more companies will look for ways to use less water when making the things we all need and love.

What companies do you know of committed to reducing their water footprint? Share their names and links in the comments below.