Coca-Cola Argentina, Arca Continental, Proyecto Agua Segura and San Miguel Global unite to improve water access in rural communities from Tucuman

Framed under a joint project, technology was approached, and hygiene and water care workshops were given to Caspinchango and La Calera, two rural communities in Tucuman. The actions will enhance the work that San Miguel Global has carried out to extend drinking water network 

Buenos Aires, March 25th, 2021.- Water is essential for people's health, irreplaceable for ecosystems, and necessary for economic prosperity around the world. However, 1 out of 3 people in the world does not have access to safe water. Aware of this reality, Coca-Cola Argentina, Arca Continental and Proyecto Agua Segura are working to bring technology and training closer to the communities of Caspichango, La Calera, in Tucumán.

The goal is to reinforce personal and domestic hygiene habits in order to prevent diseases and improve the health of its neighbors, in addition raising awareness about the importance of taking care of water, such a vital and scarce resource. Rural school No. 101 "Batalla de Salta", located in Caspichango, was the first in this project to receive a microbiological filter. A technological innovation that will allow them, finally, to have secure access to this resource.

“We are proud to have completed this project that enriches the value chain of both companies. We firmly believe in working together and in articulation with the three sectors. Today, two communities have access to safe water both in schools and homes" celebrated Lía Renzini, Project Director of the Proyecto Agua Segura.

The work carried out by Proyecto Agua Segura in the area will contribute to deepening the positive impact on the initiative that San Miguel Global - the leading citrus producer in the southern hemisphere and part of the extensive Coca-Cola value chain - carried out to extend the drinking water network to these two communities, which were historically supplied with the weekly arrival of a tanker truck. Specifically, the works benefited 22 families in Caspichango and 36 in La Calera that now have this service in their homes. As a corollary of this process, together with Proyecto Agua Segura, San Miguel is giving workshops to train the families involved about the safe and efficient use of water resources.

“This initiative is part of a water program that we began in 2019 with water connections in La Calera neighborhood and then continued in the Caspinchango and Monte Grande areas to reach a total of more than 100 families. This is how we seek to foster access to water, a basic and necessary condition for the well-being of our communities”, said Guillermina Maier, Global Director of Human Resources and Corporate Affairs at San Miguel.

More than a decade ago, Coca-Cola has developed a water management framework policy based on four pillars: Protect watersheds, Replenish the water it uses in its beverages, Reduce water consumption in its plants, and Recycle water from its production processes.

Thanks to this work, since 2015 -five years ahead of schedule- the Company has reached the global goal of returning to communities and nature 100% of the water used in its beverages, a percentage that since 2019 exceeds 160 percent Argentina. In 2020, the kpi was raised to 220 percent.

 “Even when we are capable of managing this resource in a sustainable way and planning the use of water, we know that we have to work together and engage in the search of solutions for the communities where are present because water is everyone's rigth", pointed out Mariale Álvarez, Global Director of Public Affairs, Sustainability and Communication at Coca-Cola in Argentina and Uruguay.