The Coca-Cola System Launches Conservation Project in India

Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Ltd. (HCCBL) and Coca-Cola India are restoring a major lake in the southern state of Karnataka as part of our system's ongoing commitment to water stewardship and community development. Six villages rely on Nalli Gudda Lake, which has depleted in recent years due to drought and deforestation, for irrigation purposes.

The project will increase the capacity of the 385-acre lake and boost its annual groundwater recharge potential to 1 million cubic meters.

HCCBL and Coca-Cola India are partnering with the local village council, Bangalore's Central Groundwater Board and Department of Civil Engineering, Bangalore University and the Institute for Public and Environmental Affairs to improve the villagers' overall quality of life by enriching the surrounding ecosystem and enhancing soil moisture retention to improve crop yields.

In addition to reducing our water use ratio and recycling wastewater in our plants, our system in India is advancing our water stewardship strategy by replenishing the water used in our finished beverages by safely returning to communities and nature an amount equivalent to what is used to produce our finished beverages - what we call a "zero water balance."

We are aiming to achieve a "positive water balance" in India through collaboration with local nongovernment organizations and state groundwater departments to install check dams, rainwater harvesting structures and drip irrigation systems. At the end of 2010, The Coca-Cola system operations in India reached a net zero balance with respect to ground water usage.