News
For the sake of the bottom line and the planet, environmental engineer John Briscoe advocates that "thirsty" industries like beverage companies should rethink water management. (Image courtesy of Flickr user oceandesetoiles.)
The massive quantities of water poured into the production of sodas, beers, juices and other drinks make beverage companies a high-visibility example of a thirsty industry, as worries about water use move up the global agenda.
The vast majority of the water the sector consumes, though, is used not in its factories or bottling plants, but in the fields where ingredients like sugar, barley and tea are grown ...
... Too many producers have focused on cutting water use at their bottling plants and working with environmental groups on local projects that make a tiny dent in a huge water problem, said John Briscoe, an environmental engineering professor at Harvard University.
“These are good things to do, but as far as water goes it makes no difference,” he said. “The industry can play in a much bigger game by saying, ‘Yes, we are good corporate citizens, how can we work with governments to put in place systems that are better for everybody and more predictable for us?”’
Topics: Environment
Cutting-edge science delivered direct to your inbox.
Join the Harvard SEAS mailing list.
