What's Happening

By Christopher Richardson
Shareholder Advocacy Manager, Mercy Investment Services

April 14, 2025, Adrian, Michigan – World Water Day, recognized annually on March 22, is a global moment of reflection and action. It reminds us that water is not just a resource. It is the sacred lifeblood of our planet and a gift that connects all life. We must protect this gift not only for ourselves but also for future generations.

This year’s World Water Day theme, "Water for Peace," highlights how responsible stewardship of water resources can prevent conflict, promote equity, and restore harmony between communities and ecosystems.

The shareholder advocacy work supported by the Adrian Dominican Sisters Portfolio Advisory Board (PAB) is working to encourage companies to be more transparent and responsible in how they manage water use and avoid water contamination throughout their operations and in their global supply chains. 

Through programs such as the Ceres Valuing Water Finance Initiative, investors engage food, beverage, utility, and energy companies to ensure water stewardship is central to their business models. The risks associated with water – scarcity, contamination, extreme weather – aren’t just environmental. They are operational and financial, directly impacting supply chains, crop production, and worker and community well-being.

This year, we’ve expanded dialogues with companies like Ingredion, Campbell’s, and Coca-Cola to explore their progress and gaps in water stewardship.

Ingredion has made notable strides in managing its water risk. The company is conducting facility-level water risk assessments and has incorporated water reduction targets into its broader sustainability strategy. It is also integrating water stewardship into its sustainable agriculture goals for its global supply chain, particularly in high-water-use regions like Pakistan and the U.S.

Campbell’s, too, has highlighted water as a priority, although its progress is mixed. The company set a goal to reduce water usage by 20 percent by 2025 from a 2017 baseline but recently reported a 7 percent increase in use. Campbell’s has also mapped water risks at 100 percent of their manufacturing locations and is assessing climate and water risks across 24 priority raw materials. We will continue to press the company for concrete progress in managing its water use and water risk.

Coca-Cola has long prioritized water as a key risk for its business, setting a target in 2007 to replenish 100 percent of the water used in its drinks production by 2020, which it achieved five years early, in 2015. In 2024, the company announced an initiative with its African bottling companies to address water insecurity. 

The Equatorial Coca‑Cola Bottling Company set targets to improve its water-use efficiency by 20 percent and achieve 100 percent local water replenishment by 2030. Its bottling operations serve more than 160 million consumers, making these goals both impactful and essential. ECCBC is also working to align with The Coca-Cola Company’s overall "2030 Water Security Strategy" and collaborates with NGOs to improve water access and sanitation in vulnerable communities.

Our goal through shareholder advocacy is to support companies in becoming better stewards of water resources. By raising expectations, asking better questions, and pushing for more complete disclosures, we help companies prepare for a future where water will be a defining factor in resilience, cost, and reputation.

On this World Water Day, let us remember that water is not a commodity. It is a sacred thread that binds us all.