The Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) gained yet another endorsement for its Business Commitment to Water Security, which has six goals to improve water management in companies in Brazil. This Wednesday (6/2), the president of Philip Morris Brasil, Manuel Chinchilla, signed the document, which already has the support of 22 other groups. By signing the document, the company commits to expanding the inclusion of the water theme in its business strategy; measure and publicly communicate your water management; and encourage shared projects in favor of water.
Created during the World Water Forum in March 2018 in Brazil, the document established six goals to improve water use in industry by 2025, and will be an international reference for similar actions at the next World Water Forum in Senegal in 2021. To bring together the initiatives of its member companies and inform society in a transparent manner about these actions, CEBDS created the hub aquasphere.
“The purpose of this document and the hub aquasphere is to formalize the private sector's commitment to the cause and allow monitoring of the actions carried out, in a transparent manner, both to demand greater engagement from companies and to encourage the experiences to be replicated”, explains Marina Grossi, president of CEBDS.
A member of CEBDS since July 2018, Philip Morris Brazil uses international parameters to measure the impact of water use in its operations. The company's unit in Santa Cruz do Sul (RS) was the first in the country and in Latin America to receive certification from the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS). In recent years, the factory has reduced the volume of water used to produce cigarettes by more than 30%. It also adopts a water treatment and reuse system and maintains initiatives with the local community to preserve river basins in the region, such as the Water Protector program.
“Adhering to the CEBDS Commitment reinforces our policies in the area of sustainability, being an important element not only in the interaction with our stakeholders, but also in the impact we generate in the communities with which we interact. At the same time as we move towards building a smoke-free future, we seek to expand our contribution to society through actions that reduce the impact of our operations and preserve natural resources”, says Manuel Chinchilla, president of Philip Morris Brazil.
The projects and goals of the companies that signed the commitment are available on the hub thewater and can be consulted by any users. In addition to knowing the companies' projects, it is possible to follow and monitor their water security goals. Commitment, is available in full on the CEBDS website. Companies interested in signing the Commitment can also contact the Council.
About CEBDS: The Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development brings together 60 of the country's largest companies to promote sustainability issues within companies and act as a bridge between these companies and society, and between companies and authorities, in favor of public policies aimed at sustainable development. Its two main pillars are water efficiency and climate change.
About Philip Morris Brazil: Philip Morris Brazil has been operating in Brazil since 1973, where it has 3,000 employees. The company is an affiliate of Philip Morris International (PMI), one of the leading companies in the tobacco sector, with six of the 15 main brands and products sold in more than 180 countries. PMI is committed to the development and commercialization of reduced risk products (RRPs). These have the potential to present a lower risk of harm to adult smokers who switch to these products compared to continued smoking. For more information, visit here.
