Mizuiku clean water campaign hits eighth year of success

On December 2 in Hanoi, Suntory Group and Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverage held a ceremony to provide an overview of the successes of the programme in Vietnam thus far.

Leaders of Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverage at the event

Based on Suntory’s sustainable water philosophy, the group has been committed to creating activities that promote water protection, with Mizuiku an educational initiative about nature and water created by Suntory Group in Japan in 2004.

Receiving strong support in Japan and with the desire to influence people around the world, the programme was officially deployed in Vietnam in 2015. Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam was proud to be the first company that Suntory Group chose to deploy the Mizuiku programme outside of Japan.

Together with the sustainable development model of Suntory PepsiCo and commitment to contribute to the community where it operates, the Mizuiku programme operates under the “Water” pillar, one of the key sustainability focuses of Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam.

Leaders of Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverage and Deputy Minister of Education and Training Ngo Thi Minh

Throughout the past eight years, the programme in Vietnam has gained significant results and made a huge social impact to communities. The programme boasts 137,000 primary students participating in water conservation training courses, and over 4,200 classes on educating water resources have been widely disseminated. The programme also contributes to improving facilities for more than 130 clean water installations in primary schools.

Shigeaki Kazama, deputy general director of Sustainability at Suntory Group said, “The success of the programme in Vietnam reaffirms our decision to roll it out to other countries around the world such as Thailand, China, Indonesia, France, and Spain. I am grateful to see that the programme has been supported by society and made a positive impact on Vietnam over the past eight years. We understand the importance of being a positive influence in raising awareness of water protection and conservation to the community. I hope with the new model, the programme will reach new heights of success.”

“Growing for Good” is the vision that both Suntory Group and Suntory PepsiCo are now aiming towards in production and business activities. Understanding that environment as well as water protection are knowledge and skills that need to be extensively disseminated, especially among the younger generation, from 2023 to 2025 the programme wishes to expand nationwide, bring up new initiatives, and enhance the responsibility of saving clean water by children.

For the first time, Suntory PepsiCo also signed an agreement with the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) to get the programme scaled up to a wider number of young people.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Dr. Ngo Thi Minh said, “The MoET recognises and highly appreciates the efforts of the Mizuiku - I love clean water programme run over many years. Now with the new partnership model that the MoET is involved in, and the support of other ministries, I hope that this programme will help to achieve the important goals of education on water resources, raising awareness of water protection, health, and environmental hygiene for the younger generation in Vietnam.”

Jahanzeb Khan, CEO and general director of Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam added, “I am delighted to see that the programme is being widely accepted, and its success is a testament to Suntory PepsiCo’s commitment to sustainable development. Moreover, with the companionship of the MoET, the programme will be escalated to a new level, creating more meaningful activities to help the programme spread out strongly and make a positive influence in Vietnamese society.”

With the comprehensive cooperation with the MoET, the Mizuiku - I love clean water programme will be directed and organised nationwide, contributing to building a safe and sustainable living environment and creating the necessary conditions for children to grow healthy. In the next three years, the programme aims to raise awareness for all primary school students at grades 3 and 4 across every province and city about the importance of water resources and conservation.

The programme will also support school health services, improve physical health and environmental hygiene, and bring opportunities to use clean water for students and the community as a whole.

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