Sainsbury’s and Coke first brands to gain water mark

Sainsbury’s and Coca-Cola Enterprises will be able to highlight water reduction progress in marketing after becoming the first brands awarded Carbon Trust’s new Water Standard accreditation.

Carbon Trust Water Standard
Carbon Trust’s first water use mark launches today.

Carbon Trust’s Water Standard, which launches today (19 February), recognises companies for actively measuring, managing and reducing water use. It is the first international award recognising water use reduction and it is hoped it will fundamentally change businesses’ sustainability benchmarks and way they are viewed by investors, stakeholders and customers.

The mark has been designed to be part of brands’ sustainability marketing communications and can appear on packaging and online communications.

Carbon Trust says businesses are not acting fast enough to reduce water use and wastage with just one in seven global firms it surveyed setting targets. It hopes the Water Standard will act as a catalyst for action.

The accreditation signals that water waste is the “next frontier” for brands to tackle in terms of reducing their impact on the environment and is part of Carbon Trusts’s strategy to branching out to address broader sustainability issues faced by businesses beyond carbon.

Tom Delay, chief executive of the Carbon Trust, says: “Addressing water use within a business has not, until now, been high on the agenda for many businesses. However, the harsh realities of future water scarcity mean this needs to change and fast. We’ve launched the Water Standard to help companies monitor and manage their water usage and build resource efficiency into future business plans.

“We know from our extensive experience helping companies to manage carbon reduction that a stringent approach to use of resources can lead to new commercial opportunities and thriving businesses, particularly for those who take the lead here and set the benchmark for others to follow.”

Branston and laundry business Sunlight Services are also using the mark.

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