La Vie factory in Hung Yen granted Alliance for Water Stewardship certification

La Vie has been one of the pioneers of water protection in Vietnam

The recognition reflects the constant efforts of La Vie, a member of Nestlé Group, to protect water resources for future generations despite the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Alliance for Water Stewardship is a global organisation dedicated to promoting cooperation between businesses, governments, and nonprofit organisations to encourage the adoption of common system standards for sustainable water use. As of present, La Vie is the first and only business in Vietnam to have received the AWS Standard certification as the La Vie factory in Long An was the first certified factory in the country.

The La Vie factory in Hung Yen has made constant investments in initiatives to protect water resources. Specifically, La Vie made efforts to ensure that every drop of treated wastewater undergoes strict control through an automatic wastewater monitoring system before returning to the environment. The wastewater leaving the factory can be used to irrigate farms while reducing the risk of water pollution.

For many years, La Vie has been collecting garbage every day on the canal in Van Lam, Hung Yen province where Nhu Quynh pumping station is situated with a view to improving the water environment for the community. The company also supports households to connect to the standard water system in the locality as well as improve sanitary conditions and water quality at local schools.

Joining hands with the community to protect water resources

Nestlé is committed to certifying all of its factories with the robust AWS standard by 2025, including La Vie.

The AWS Standard is applied by businesses and organisations having water plants globally to understand and identify challenges, opportunities, and risks of water resources in their areas. Businesses will team up with relevant stakeholders to address challenges and achieve the targets of sustainable water balance, good water quality, equity in clean water use, and water ecosystem protection.

To this end, La Vie not only adopts water saving initiatives at the factories but also shares them with businesses and local communities. The company also cooperates with the local authorities and schools to raise the awareness of the community about the challenges for water resources.

La Vie is carrying out various programmes to achieve its goal of drawing net zero water from local communities by 2025

To meet the criteria for the AWS standard, businesses need to go through five assessment processes with strict requirements. The assessment is conducted by an independent organisation under the close supervision of AWS. In addition, after obtaining certification, businesses will be re-evaluated annually to ensure the continued and improved implementation of water protection activities.

Over the past 30 years of operation in Vietnam, La Vie has made significant contributions to the community through its Creating Shared Values programme, which brings long-term benefits for relevant stakeholders and society towards sustainable development. Most recently, La Vie has announced its goal of drawing zero water from local communities by 2025. It will supply them the same volume of clean water its plants use from local sources and return to the environment 100 per cent of the water it draws from water bodies.