By 2030, water demand is expected to exceed available resources by 40% internationally, according to the European Commission’s water resilience strategy. The consequences for global health, agriculture and economies could be significant.

To mitigate these risks, the EU’s strategy calls for restoring and protecting the water cycle from source to sea. Coca-Cola in Europe has been aiming to do for the last 20 years, by partnering with over 30  non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on more than 100 water projects.

Through collaboration and communication, they have worked together, aiming to address water stress, help protect local water resources and support local communities. The learnings gained from Coca-Cola in Europe’s water-focused partnerships with NGOs are captured in the recent report, Scaling for Impact, produced by GlobalScan in collaboration with Coca-Cola Europe. This report showcases how effective collaborations between businesses and NGOs can drive meaningful progress in building water resilience.

Examples of nature-based solutions include the Living Danube Partnership with WWF Central and Eastern Europe, The Coca-Cola Foundation and the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River, a decade-long collaboration which aims to restore wetlands and watershed health across eight countries in the Danube Basin, helping to enhance water resilience and biodiversity. Another example is working with the Rivers Trust in Great Britain to restore river catchments and strengthen climate resilience. Meanwhile, collaborations with Natuurpunt in Belgium and  Natuurmonumenten in the Netherlands have helped protected nature reserves from drought, securing the CO₂ sequestered in peatlands and supporting biodiversity.

In agriculture, partnerships in Spain and Sicily focus on water-smart farming in water-scarce regions. In Sicily’s citrus production chain, efforts such as using field sensors, drone monitoring, and training local farmers have reduced water usage while promoting sustainable farming. In Spain, the ‘Misión Posible – Desafío Guadalquivir’ project is introducing water-saving irrigation technologies while improving biodiversity.

Scaling for Impact identifies seven key success factors for water stewardship collaborations. Partnerships must be:

• Partners need to build trust in shared authentic intentions.
• Value creation oriented. A partnership must be founded on both a strong business case and social and environmental benefits.
• Final projects must effectively measure streamlined data to build transparency and confidence.
• Partnerships thrive when they can expand to engage multiple stakeholders and create systemic solutions.
• Adaptive and innovative. Partnerships should allow for evolving goals, roles and approaches to increase impact.
• A strategic, rather than a tactical, approach can enhance impact and give both partners more certainty.
• Capability building. Partners should help each other grow capabilities and deliver higher impact, mutually beneficial and future-ready solutions.

Cross-sector collaboration can help turn global challenges like water scarcity into shared opportunities to support communities and create more resilient businesses at a time of volatility. By exploring these key relationship dynamics, the report provides practical guidance and actionable insights for businesses and NGOs of different sizes and at different stages of partnership.

As Wouter Vermeulen, Vice President, Sustainability and Public Policy, Coca-Cola Europe, explains:

‘Water is a shared resource that knows no borders — and so must our response. Tackling water challenges demands true collaboration, because collective action isn’t just important, it’s the only way forward to create lasting change.’

No one organisation can solve a global issue like water resilience on its own. Through Scaling for Impact, Coca-Cola Europe and GlobeScan are aiming to ease the way forward for other companies and NGOs to work together to protect one of the earth’s most precious resources.