LAHORE: Pioneering a global achievement in water stewardship, global business Nestlé Waters & Premium Beverages (NW&PB) that operates the brand Nestlé PURE LIFE in Pakistan, became the first food and beverage company worldwide to secure 100 per cent certification of all its 39 bottling sites to the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Standard. This landmark accomplishment includes the local bottling sites in Pakistan at Sheikhupura, Islamabad and Karachi, as well as Nestlé’s Kabirwala factory.
As increasing water stress and extreme weather events place growing pressure on rivers, aquifers and communities, effective water stewardship requires action that goes beyond factory boundaries and addresses shared water challenges at the catchment level.
Emphasizing the importance of collective action, Sheikh Waqar Ahmad, Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Nestlé Pakistan, said, “Water is a shared resource, and shared challenges demand collective solutions. This is why we launched the Caring for Water Pakistan (C4W Pakistan) initiative in 2017. Through this platform, we collaborate with key partners including Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and WWF Pakistan to strengthen long term water resilience for communities, nature and business continuity.” Nestlé under the Caring for Water-Pakistan initiative, also operationalized drip irrigation across 244 acres in Sindh and 55 acres in Punjab, while smart soil moisture sensors were deployed across 722 acres in 2025.
Samra Maqbool, Business Executive Officer, Nestlé Waters & Premium Beverages Pakistan commented, “We are pleased to lead water regeneration efforts at Nestlé Pakistan. In 2017, our Sheikhupura Factory became the first site in Pakistan—and the first Nestlé site worldwide—to earn Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Certification. By 2020, Pakistan had progressed further to become the first market across Nestlé to achieve AWS certification for all its factories. Good water stewardship is part of our DNA.”
Talking about the effort, Hammad Naqi, CEO, World Wide Fund-Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan) said, “It is encouraging to see Nestlé provide invaluable learnings for driving impact at scale as it continues to be an important ally in advancing water stewardship globally.”
Nestlé, with its global headquarters based in Switzerland, has had a longstanding presence in Pakistan for over 36 years, and is committed to be a force for good throughout its value chain by Creating Shared Value for communities, increasing its network of Clean and Safe Drinking
Water Facilities to 10 in 2025, enabling more than 100,000 people access clean drinking water every day, in line with UN SDG 6, 13 and 17.
The AWS Standard – which is the only globally-recognized independent framework for water stewardship – is a cornerstone of NW&PB’s core commitment to collective water resilience and sustainable water management, guiding how the business cares for water in its factories, within watersheds and in communities.
