Diageo India leads industry-first water stewardship initiative in partnership with renewable water technology innovator, SOURCE Global, PBC

Using patented SOURCE® Hydropanel technology, Diageo India will for the first time in the world, use water made purely from sunlight and air in an alcoholic beverage

This initiative will help accelerate the company’s Society 2030: Spirit of Progress Plan

• SOURCE® Hydropanels are expected to generate up to 27,000 litres of water drawn from the sky per month, protecting and saving groundwater.
• Godawan, Diageo India’s artisanal single malt whisky to be made with renewable, sustainable drinking water using patented SOURCE® Hydropanel technology.

BENGALURU, India & SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Diageo India, the country’s leading beverage alcohol company, today announced a first-of-a-kind water stewardship initiative in partnership with SOURCE Global, PBC. The company’s SOURCE® Hydropanels, a groundbreaking technology that uses the sun to draw pure, constantly replenished water vapor out of the sky, will produce premium water for Godawan, Diageo India’s artisanal single malt whisky.

As the technology partner, SOURCE Global will build a 200-panel water farm in Alwar, Rajasthan. Initially, the installation is expected to generate 9,000 litres of water within the first six months and will further scale up to produce around 27,000 litres of water per month after a year. Because SOURCE® is drawn from the pure and constantly replenished water in the sky, the project will save groundwater. Godawan, Diageo India’s artisanal single malt whisky, produced in the warm and dry Alwar region of Rajasthan, will be the first beverage alcohol brand to use SOURCE® water.

Because SOURCE® water is locally made, it reflects the unique terroir of the region. SOURCE Hydropanels also operate off-grid and without electricity or traditional piped water infrastructure, reducing the carbon emissions associated with treating and transporting potable water.

Hina Nagarajan, MD & CEO, Diageo India, said, “We have a responsibility to grow our business sustainably from grain to glass. Last year, we set a vision and commitment to build our Society 2030 program, aligned to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The innovative actions of our teams and partners will help us conserve groundwater considerably. Our partnership with SOURCE is aligned to the craft philosophy of born good, made good, and serve good. This is a step forward in our journey to be part of the solution in water-stressed geographies.”

“As the first company to use renewable water in an alcohol brand, Diageo India is serving the growing demand for premium, sustainable products in an incredibly unique and powerful way,” said Neil Grimmer, Brand President of SOURCE Global, PBC. “The world, especially in already water-stressed regions like Rajasthan, is now facing the harsh realities of climate change, and Diageo is leading the way toward a more secure and sustainable future. We are proud to partner with them.”

This initiative is aligned to Diageo India’s commitment towards Society 2030: Spirit of Progress Plan. The company recently released its maiden ESG Index, which highlighted the multiple initiatives undertaken by the company during the year such as creating water replenishment capacity of 4,62,182 Cu.M annually and 84,000 litres of potable drinking water per day under its Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme. The company is working to replenish more water than it uses in the water-stressed sites across its operating locations in India through reforestation, wetland restoration, desilting ponds and rainwater harvesting.

About Diageo India

Diageo India is the country’s leading beverage alcohol company and a subsidiary of global leader Diageo PLC. The company manufactures, sells and distributes an outstanding portfolio of premium brands such as Johnnie Walker, Black Dog, Black & White, VAT 69, Antiquity, Signature, The Singleton, Royal Challenge, McDowell’s No1, Smirnoff, Ketel One, Tanqueray and Captain Morgan.

Headquartered in Bengaluru, our wide footprint is supported by a committed team of over 3,145 employees, 47 manufacturing facilities across states and union territories in India, a strong distribution network and a state-of-the-art Technical Centre.

Incorporated in India as United Spirits Limited (USL), the company is listed on both the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India. For more information about Diageo India, our people, our brands, and our performance, visit us at www.diageoindia.com. Visit Diageo’s global responsible drinking resource, http://www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practices.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.

About SOURCE Global, PBC

A Public Benefit Corporation, SOURCE Global, PBC’s mission is to make drinking water an unlimited resource. The company’s SOURCE® Hydropanels use the sun to draw pure water vapor out of the air and transform it into fresh, high-quality, perfectly mineralized drinking water. Because the company’s technology operates entirely off the grid, it is uniquely well suited to serve areas with no reliable access to safe drinking water and those with little to no infrastructure, putting the fundamental right of safe, sustainable drinking water in the hands of every person in nearly every climate and corner of the world. Unlike piped, well or bottled water, SOURCE water is produced where it’s needed and constantly measured and monitored by digital sensors in each panel. SOURCE®Hydropanels are currently serving communities, schools, hospitals, NGOs, businesses and homes across the world and SOURCE is on Fast Company’s 2020 list of most innovative social good companies. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, the company operates in more than 50 countries and on six continents. SOURCE is a registered trademark of SOURCE Global, PBC.

Contacts

Rajalakshmi Azariah, Diageo India
rajalakshmi.azariah@diageo.com | +91 9535873006

Zarin Darashaw, Diageo India
zarin.darashaw@diageo.com | +91 9867373804

Prerana Channe, Genesis BCW
prerana.channe@genesis-bcw.com | +91 9967857161

Carole Akl, Manager, International Marketing Communications

Carole.akl@source.co | +971 553364660

Lynne Boschee, Vice President, Corporate Communications

lynne.boschee@source.co | +1 6026251956