Water has moved to the top of the business risk agenda, according to an April PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report, and at the current pace of water consumption, the overall demand for water is expected to increase by 55% globally by 2050, with industrial demand increasing fivefold.
Beverage companies, which are criticized by environmental activists for their exploitation of water resources, are now trying to portray themselves as water conservators.
“It is a little-known fact that of the total water available, agriculture uses close to 80%. Indian industry is a small consumer; domestic and industrial use clubbed together barely amounts to 20%,” says Vivek Bharti, vice-president of corporate affairs, PepsiCo India.
