Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Coke chairman: Leaders must tackle water shortage

By Bob Keefe

In Coca-Cola Co.’s latest effort to boost its environmental image, the company’s chairman on Wednesday called for government and businesses to do more to address the growing problem of global water shortages.

Coke Chairman E. Neville Isdell joined former U.S. Sen. Bill Frist in Washington to issue a “declaration” that outlines how the Obama administration and big businesses should address global water woes.

“Water … is the key ingredient to our beverages, but it’s also critical … to the health and economic prosperity of the communities that we serve,” Isdell said. “If communities are not sustainable, we do not have a sustainable business — period.”

Nearly 885 million people around the planet do not have access to safe drinking water today, and 2.5 billion don’t have access to water for basic sanitation, according to the World Health Organization. Isdell and Frist, who now chairs a private equity firm in Tennessee, are co-chairs of a group studying water challenges at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington public policy group.

The group called for President Obama to appoint a water czar and spend $1 billion a year for the next four years to finance new clean water projects and programs. Isdell said businesses worldwide also should do a better job of reducing their water usage, expanding their conservation programs and working with government to shape public policy surrounding water issues.

Coke has faced a flood of criticism over its water usage in India and other parts of the world, too, and some critics say its water-related initiatives like the one Isdell announced Wednesday are little more than lip service.

“In reality, they (Coke officials) are a driving force behind a lot of the problems that exist today,” said Patti Lynn, campaign director for activist group Corporate Accountability International.

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