Nestlé USA recently announced that its CARNATION® facility in Modesto, California is the first dairy processing facility in the U.S. to earn certification under the rigorous Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) standard. The CARNATION® facility uses a "water positive" process to make evaporated milk, meaning the facility redistributes more water for farmers to use than it uses for production and cleaning.
The AWS Standard is the first, comprehensive global standard for measuring responsible water stewardship across social, cultural, environmental and economic criteria. Independent auditors from SCS Global Services assessed the facility's performance metrics on water quantity and quality, the water sources within the catchment, and the stakeholder engagement process.
In 2018, the facility developed a state-of-the-art water recycling system. Nestlé USA sources fresh milk from family dairy farms to make its evaporated milk, a process that involves removing water from milk. The facility now treats and reuses a portion of that water in cleaning processes and the balance is made available to the community. Thanks to the facility's efforts and investments by the City of Modesto in managing wastewater, the CARNATION® facility now returns more water for reuse in agriculture than it uses. The facility returned more than 70 million gallons of water to the watershed in 2020, enough to fill 100 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
"This certification is reflective of Nestlé USA's robust approach to water stewardship at its CARNATION® production facility in Modesto, California," said Matt Howard, director for AWS North America. "The team in Modesto built upon its innovative water-recycling technology, going further to embed water conservation into its employee culture, and engage with stakeholders in the community on shared water challenges."
About the Alliance for Water Stewardship
AWS is a global membership-based collaboration that unites organizations behind its mission: To lead a global network that promotes responsible use of freshwater that is socially and economically beneficial and environmentally sustainable. AWS achieves this through a global water stewardship system, centered on the International Water Stewardship Standard (the AWS Standard), that drives, recognizes, and rewards good water stewardship performance. The AWS vision is that water users and managers are responsible water stewards, who protect and enhance freshwater resources for people and nature. The AWS Standard provides a globally applicable framework for major water users to understand their water use and impact, and to work collaboratively and transparently for sustainable management within water catchment areas.
