1. Good afternoon, I am very grateful for the invitation to attend this forum. I am very interested in learning and sharing experiences that help develop new strategies to make our world a better and more equitable place.

2. Why is water such a significant issue
Why is water such a significant issue? It is very simple: Without water there is no business. Think about it. We normally say “no water no life”. Yet long before life extinguishes…first we will lose all business if we do not have water.

3. This is why water is for PepsiCo such a significant subject
This is why water is for PepsiCo such a significant subject. Our CEO, Indra Nooyi, tells us everyday: “You as a company can do better by doing better. Every aspect of purpose delivers profit.” At the core of our business around the world is this central thought of “Performance with Purpose”. Yes we deliver shareholder value. Yet we do it with a purpose.

4. And this is perhaps the reason why I want to start today with the story of María Cristina, a 43 year old woman who lives in a small town in Southern Mexico.

5. Every day, María needs to walk over an hour to reach the nearest clean water source.
The road is so steep she can carry no more than 5 liters of water per trip.

6. She suffered an accident on one of those trips which prevented her from continuing with her task for a long period of time. Considering she was the sole household provider of water for cooking, cleaning and personal hygiene, her injury had a profound impact on her family’s life.
Sadly, Maria Cristina’s story isn´t unique. Only in Latin America, there are 36 million people without direct access to clean water.

7. And, according to the UN, it is women and children who are responsible for water supply in 76% of homes in developing countries.

8. In addition, a lack of access to water, sanitation and hygiene, also known as WASH, affects women disproportionally, due to both biological and cultural factors.

9. Girls who must spend time carrying water instead of studying find themselves caught in the same cycle of poverty as their mothers and grandmothers.

10. At PepsiCo we found a way to help María Cristina and many other families in similar situations.
In 2011, the PepsiCo Foundation became the first private donor to the AquaFund with a $5 million grant; all previous contributions had been made by the IDB and by sovereign governments.

11. AquaFund, a fund launched by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to facilitate investment in water supply and sanitation, water resources, and solid waste management and wastewater treatment.

12. What makes Aquafund unique is that it concentrates on guaranteeing community ownership of the projects. It is about sharing water and sanitation best practices within a community. Especially with these women, the sole water providers, because involving women can increase the effectiveness of water projects 6 to 7 times.

13. María Cristina is a good example of the enthusiasm shared by women involved in the project. She and many other families in Mexico, Colombia and Peru are particularly thankful of the support provided.

14. We in PepsiCo respect water as a fundamental human right
We in PepsiCo respect water as a fundamental human right. We use water in our supply chain and take that use very seriously.
In irrigation we have decreased water usage in average 30% in XX years.

15. In Manufacturing our numbers are outstanding
In Manufacturing our numbers are outstanding. We have reduced water usage in manufacturing a 47 % since 2006.
Our water usage measured in liters per kilogram of finished products is one of the lowest in the PepsiCo system.

16. Finally in Mexico, 25% of the water used in our manufacturing plants is from recycled sources.
A big part of water journey is about educating our employees. He have 40,000 employees in PepsiCo Mexico and we know that if they learn how to be responsible water users in our company they will also take that home, to their schools and families.

17. Our work in water conservation has been recognized by numerous organizations.

18. But at the end of the day it is about getting consumers, employees, and Maria Cristina to smile.

22. We had a hard time making Maria Cristina smile
We had a hard time making Maria Cristina smile! Maybe it is because she takes water very seriously. So do we. We understand that a sustainable future is only possible if we all take care of our most sacred possession: water.

23. @GlobeWomen
@PepsiCoMex
Thank you!