Mizuiku: Vietnam’s model of water conservation inspiring global expansion

Mizuiku has just celebrated its 10^th anniversary in Vietnam. How significant is this milestone from Suntory's global perspective?

Joshi: This anniversary is a proud milestone for Suntory PepsiCo. Mizuiku was first launched by Suntory in Japan in 2004 as an education programme designed to nurture awareness of water and its conservation among primary school children.

Ashish Joshi, CEO and general director of Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam

In 2015, Vietnam launched the programme, under the name 'Mizuiku – I love clean water'. That decision recognises both Vietnam's importance as a market and the country's unique challenges in ensuring safe, sustainable water resources.

Over the past 10 years, Mizuiku has reached almost one million students, trained 16,000 teachers to become true 'inspirers', and built or upgraded nearly 200 clean-water facilities. These efforts have improved access to safe water for millions of people across the country.

But beyond the numbers, what makes me proud is the impact on awareness. Mizuiku has introduced children to the value of water and inspired them to care of nature, while empowering teachers as multipliers of this knowledge. That lasting awareness is the foundation of sustainability.

Seki: Mizuiku started as a local initiative in Japan in 2004 having now grown into a global movement. By 2024, Mizuiku had reached beyond one million children worldwide, and our ambition is to extend that to five million by 2030.

Manabu Seki, deputy chief sustainability officer for sustainable development at Suntory Group

Vietnam was the first country outside Japan to host Mizuiku when we launched it here in 2015. In many ways, Vietnam has been a pioneer – innovations such as integrating the programme into the national primary school curriculum and expanding it through public–private partnerships have become models for global expansion.

One of the unique features of Mizuiku is the combination of in-class lessons with outdoor experiential learning. Why is this important?

Joshi: What sets Mizuiku apart is its long-term, scalable model. It is not a one-off social responsibility activity, but a programme built with a sustainable model embedded in our business philosophy of 'Growing for Good.'

The model is built on three pillars: Raising awareness – through in-school education to nurture children's understanding of water conservation; Call to action – through outdoor learning, encourage students to connect with forests and nature and to act as protectors of the environment; Enhancing access – by improving clean-water facilities for schools and communities in need.

At the same time, we train teachers as 'knowledge multipliers,' ensuring impact continues beyond a single classroom or school year. This creates a ripple effect across generations.

That is why, after a decade, Mizuiku has grown from a humble beginning with some classes in 2015 into a national programme recognised by government ministries. It is a model that delivers not only environmental benefits but also stronger communities and a culture of sustainability.

Seki: We realised very early in Japan that water education should not only be theoretical. Children need to see, touch, and feel nature to truly appreciate the value of water and forests.

That's why we introduced field trips, bringing students into forests, rivers, and mountains. When they walk through a healthy forest and see clean water flowing from it, they develop a much deeper understanding of how ecosystems sustain life.

Vietnam has adapted this approach extremely well. With support from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the “Nature Expedition with Mizuiku” programme has expanded nationally since 2025. Vietnam's diverse ecosystems and landscapes make it an ideal environment for this type of education.

The “Nature Expedition with Mizuiku” initiative is Vietnam's first nature-based environmental education model implemented through a public–private partnership

We believe these experiences shape long-term behaviour. The children of today will carry these lessons into adulthood, impinging daily habits, professional decisions, and community leadership.

The Mizuiku programme helps connect people with forests and change perceptions about learning through nature in Vietnam. How does Suntory PepsiCo evaluate the return on investment from this programme, particularly in terms of its long-term impact and value?

Joshi : At Suntory PepsiCo, we do not view Mizuiku through the lens of a traditional return on investment calculation. Led by our vision of 'Growing for Good,' our philosophy has always been to create value not only for the company but also for society and the environment. This has been part of Suntory's DNA since the very beginning in Japan.

Water is at the heart of everything we do – it is the foundation of all our products, from tea to soft drinks to spirits. As a business sustained by this gift of nature, we have a deep responsibility to protect and nurture the ecosystems that provide it. Forests, rivers, and watersheds are critical for ensuring water security, which is why connecting people, especially children, with nature through Mizuiku is so important.

When we invest in water education and forest conservation, we are contributing directly to society while also protecting the future of our own business. The truth is, the financial cost today is very small compared to the long-term value, the societal and environmental values ​​that Mizuiku brought about to the whole society and our company: the assurance that clean, reliable water will be available for generations to come. That is absolutely vital for the survival of our company and for the wellbeing of communities.

So, for us, the 'return' from Mizuiku is twofold: it reflects our philosophy of growing by doing good and it secures the sustainability of the very resource that sustains us. This is why we consider education and conservation not as expenses but as investments in a resilient future for both Vietnam and Suntory PepsiCo.

Looking ahead, how does Suntory plan to expand the impact of Mizuiku worldwide?

Seki: Our vision is very ambitious. By 2030, Mizuiku will reach five million children globally.

We are scaling up in countries where Suntory operates, such as Indonesia, Thailand, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom. At the same time, we are exploring partnerships in regions where water challenges are most urgent.

Vietnam will continue to play a special role. It has become a global flagship, demonstrating how a programme can be institutionalised and scaled through strong partnerships with government, schools, and communities.

Suntory makes sustainability commitments with Mizuiku project On December 2 in Hanoi, Suntory Group and Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverage (Suntory PepsiCo) held a ceremony to summarize the eight-year journey of the “Mizuiku - I love clean water” program in Vietnam. Shigeaki Kazama, executive officer and division Deputy COO at Sustainability Management Division under Suntory Group, talked with VIR's Thanh Dat about the steps the company is going to take toward its sustainable commitment.

Suntory Group deepens sustainable footprint in Vietnam The “Mizuiku – I love clean water” program is an education initiative for nature and water unique to Suntory Group designed for the next generation to realize the beauty of nature, which has brought benefit to more than 2.6 million people at all ages across Vietnam after eight years. VIR's Ha Thuy has an exclusive interview with Masaaki Fujiwara, chief sustainability officer of Suntory Group.

'Mizuiku - I Love Clean Water' initiative celebrates decade of impact and evolution Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam is marking the 10th anniversary of its environmental education initiative “Mizuiku - I Love Clean Water” with a public exhibition from October 1-6.