World Water Day: Good Health Hinges on Good Water
Climate change, growing economies and populations and changing lifestyles create ever greater pressure on global water resources, which can directly impact the health of local communities. Yet, clean, safe and accessible water is the most basic prerequisite for life and health. From basic uses like cooking and personal hygiene, to complex large-scale operations – water availability and quality affects many aspects of individual, societal and environmental health.
The sustainable use of natural resources and the promotion of a strong environmental awareness are key components of our environmental sustainability program MORE GREEN, helping to ensure good health for current and future generations. For this reason, Boehringer Ingelheim implements high-performing water management programs at all production sites, with those in established water scarcity areas undergoing an additional Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) certification process. AWS is a global membership collaboration including businesses, NGOs and the public sector, which drives good water stewardship practices. The concept of water stewardship means the usage of water that is socially and culturally equitable, economically beneficial and environmentally sustainable, achieved through a stakeholder-inclusive process.
Access to clean water with a touch of the tap and a never-ending, steady supply until the next tap: A reality for some, still a dream today for others. This is the case in Mexico, a country full of tradition, culture and natural beauty, but also home to millions of people without access to basic services, such as clean water . Absolute national numbers don’t always make regional differences apparent. This is also the case here, where in the southeastern region of Chiapas, the vast majority of the population lives in poverty .
Boehringer Ingelheim Mexico’s Xochimilco site is located in a region highly affected by water scarcity, resulting in decreasing ground water levels. These cause entire neighborhoods to sink a few centimeters into the ground every year. In order to address this issue, Boehringer Ingelheim Mexico has been implementing various initiatives for many years, contributing to the proper management of natural resources. Through this, it became the first pharmaceutical company and operating unit worldwide to obtain the Alliance for Water Stewardship certification (AWS).
The heart of the water stewardship program in Mexico sits in the wastewater treatment plant, that has been in operation for over 25 years, combining various and continuously improving treatment processes to obtain the best possible water quality. You won’t have to look far to find proof for the great water quality: every day, 190 m³ of this water are reused, such as for the irrigation of the site. Yearly, this equates into over 70.000 m³ of water saved.
Still, the actions carried out on the site are only one part of what is involved in obtaining and maintaining an effective water program: educational awareness efforts are implemented at schools and in the community. In addition, Boehringer Ingelheim Mexico has created alliances that allow the most vulnerable to improve their quality of life. One of them is with Boehringer Ingelheim’s Making More Health Fellow 'Cántaro Azul', an NGO striving to implement sustainable water, hygiene and sanitation solutions in rural communities to reach families, municipal clinics and schools, helping even with the delivery of COVID-19 protection kits for frontline workers in Chiapas.
A holistic approach to clean water goes beyond direct activities, in order to achieve greater environmental sustainability: with certified reforestation partners Reforestamos México, Bosque Urbano and Ectagono, the participation of the medical and student community, as well as local colleagues and their families, the annual 'Forest to Breathe' series has planted over 56,000 trees in different areas of the country since 2015, not only creating compensation for carbon emissions, but also supporting local biodiversity. In 2020, despite the pandemic, the project continued coordination virtually, not only reforesting the Tarango ravine, but also cleaning the Puerta Grande river that surrounds it – generating temporary jobs for inhabitants during this difficult time.
Projects like these are part of a long-term vision at Boehringer Ingelheim Mexico. In 2022, corporate employee efforts will focus on supporting reforestation efforts in Mexico City and Guadalajara, as well as the construction of sanitary modules and rainwater harvesting systems in vulnerable communities, in collaboration with the organization TECHO.
Through the “Sustainable Development – For Generations” framework, Boehringer Ingelheim is continuing a journey that began more than 135 years ago, to contribute to tackling global health and environmental challenges. With its MORE GREEN program, Boehringer Ingelheim intends to become even more environmentally sustainable, continuing the significant reduction in the company’s greenhouse gas emissions, energy and resource use, as well as water footprint.
References
1https://www.coneval.org.mx/Medicion/MP/Paginas/Pobreza-2018.aspx, 2018
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