`Sustainable Water’ Label Proposed by Six Conservation Groups

A coalition of six environmental groups is proposing that bottled water, beer, cola, and other products carry a label if they are produced from sustainable sources of water, much as some forest products and seafood are already being given a green seal of approval if they are sustainably harvested. The new program, known as the Alliance for Water Stewardship, was unveiled at a meeting of the World Water Forum In Istanbul and is being backed by the World Wildlife Fund, the U.S.-based Nature Conservancy, and other environmental organizations. The group is proposing that within two years a global standard be developed to classify water sources used in consumer products as being sustainably tapped; the products would then carry a label of approval from the Alliance for Water Stewardship. The Forest Stewardship Council has developed a program, involving 12,000 companies, that certifies forest products as being sustainably harvested from 250 million acres of land. The goal of the water stewardship program is to use market forces to improve water management worldwide.