Coca-Cola’s Mexican operations pursue an ambitious water stewardship strategy aligned with global sustainability goals. The Mexican Coca‑Cola Industry (IMCC) has a “Water Security 2030” strategy emphasizing (1) efficiency in plant operations, (2) conservation and watershed replenishment, and (3) community access to clean water. In practice this means optimizing water use, restoring ecosystems, and partnering on community projects.
Globally, The Coca-Cola Company now returns more than 100% of the water it uses in finished beverages to nature and people. Mexico’s operations mirror this commitment: IMCC has pledged to replenish 100% of water used by 2030 and to bring clean water to 3 million Mexicans by 2028. The CEO Water Mandate (UN) and AWS (Alliance for Water Stewardship) principles guide this work, with Coca-Cola Mexico joining those initiatives in 2024 to build resilience in 100 vulnerable basins.
Operational Water Efficiency and Certifications
In bottling operations, Coca-Cola Mexico tracks and reduces water use per liter of product. By 2024 the country’s largest bottler, Coca-Cola FEMSA, achieved roughly 1.36–1.38 liters of water per liter of beverage – on track for the 1.26 L/L target by 2026. Across IMCC plants, water-use efficiency has improved ~30% in recent years. All process wastewater is treated locally, and FEMSA now treats 100% of its discharge.
Leadership in sustainable water use is certified: in 2024–25 nine Coca-Cola FEMSA plants in Latin America earned Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) certification. Notably, in August 2025 Coca-Cola’s concentrate plant in Mexico City became the first in the system to earn AWS Platinum status for water stewardship. These certifications attest to advanced practices in water governance, balance, quality and community access. As Coca-Cola Mexico’s sustainability director notes, the goal is to “return 100% of the water we use” and help communities gain access to clean water.
Conservation and Watershed Replenishment
Coca-Cola Mexico invests heavily in nature-based projects that improve watershed health and recharge aquifers. Since 2022 it has contributed to restoring over 48,000 hectares of Latin American forest and wetlands. In November 2022, the industry formalized an 87-million-peso (≈US$4.1M) alliance with NGOs Toroto, Pronatura, and Kilimo to launch major conservation projects.
For example, Toroto is reforesting and restoring soils in Tlaxcala, Chiapas and Nayarit to enhance infiltration; Pronatura is reforesting and building infiltration wells in Toluca and Aguascalientes; and Kilimo is deploying smart irrigation monitoring in northern agricultural zones. These efforts help maintain the natural water cycle and prevent runoff.
In 2021 Coca-Cola Mexico also pledged 170 million pesos to build four artificial wetlands as living treatment systems. The first wetland – in Cihuatlán, Jalisco – now treats community wastewater and supplies freshwater, serving about 18,000 people. Another is underway in Mexicali, Baja California. And a National Water Harvesting Program (with Pronatura) has planted over 79 million trees across watersheds, boosting rainfall capture and recharging springs and rivers (creating ~115,000 local jobs).
Most recently, in June 2024 IMCC announced a new 5.1 million-peso investment for infiltration projects in Sonora and Durango (with NGO Profauna). These include soil-conservation and reforestation works in the Nogales basin (Sonora) and Guadiana aquifer (Durango).
Together they are expected to recover 80 million and 283 million liters of water per year, respectively (equivalent to 24 and 83 Olympic swimming pools). In total, the Mexican Coca-Cola industry reports investing over 87 million pesos in watershed protection projects nationwide in the past two years.
Community Water Access and Sanitation
Beyond conservation, Coca-Cola Mexico leads programs to directly improve water access. The “Escuelas con Agua” initiative installs rainwater-harvesting systems on school roofs. Each system can collect 0.5–1.0 million liters per rainy season, and to date over 800 schools in 29 states have been equipped. (
Earlier reports noted 117 schools by end-2022, capturing ~10 million liters/year for ~16,000 students.) These systems provide consistent drinking water for schools and help close gaps in access for the 17,000+ public schools lacking potable water in Mexico.
Coca-Cola’s community programs also include water filter and supply projects. For example, in Colombia a project gave ceramic filters to 350 families with no clean tap water. In Mexico, FEMSA operates mobile drinking-water trucks during emergencies (hurricanes, floods) to serve affected neighborhoods. In 2024–25, FEMSA delivered over 200,000 liters of potable water in response to climate-related disasters in Mexico and Brazil.
Partnerships extend to local governments. Through the Lazos de Agua program (One Drop/IDB/FEMSA/Coca-Cola Foundation), an initial US$25 M investment by 2022 had brought safe water to over 235,000 people in five countries. In Mexico (Guanajuato), this program alone invested ~$14 M to upgrade 67 community water systems, benefiting 81,822 residents and training thousands in hygiene and system management. I
n the wake of disasters, Coca-Cola and partners (FEMSA Foundation, ActionAid, UNDP, etc.) are helping victims: for example, after 2023’s Hurricane Otis in Guerrero they launched a two-year plan to improve water and sanitation for 10,000+ people. Small-scale initiatives include community water faucets (e.g. a free tap in Topo Chico, NL) and cistern arrays (429 cisterns plus 36 “olla captadora” rain tanks nationwide by 2022) that provide drinking water to rural households.
Partnerships
Coca-Cola Mexico collaborates broadly. Its Aliados por el Agua network (40+ public, private and NGO partners) drives many efforts. Key NGO partners include Isla Urbana and Rotoplas (rainwater systems in schools), Pronatura, Toroto and Kilimo (watershed restoration), Agua Capital (urban water projects), Profauna (wildlife and watershed NGOs), and Osprey Initiative (river cleanup devices). It also works closely with municipal and state governments: for example, joint programs with Nuevo Laredo/Laredo to protect the Rio Bravo, and with Guanajuato authorities on Lazos de Agua.
On the international stage, Coca-Cola Mexico partners with the Inter-American Development Bank and United Nations (through Lazos and disaster relief) to extend its impact. These collaborative projects have installed rain-harvesting in schools, conserved forests, built wetlands, and improved local water infrastructure around the country.
Impact Metrics
Coca-Cola Mexico reports substantial results. In 2024 its Latin American operations (led by FEMSA) replenished over 100% of the water used in beverages by nature and communities. That was achieved in part by nature projects covering 48,000+ hectares and by efficiency gains (2024 use was 1.38 L per 1 L beverage). Since 2015 Coca-Cola’s global system has returned more water than it consumes.
On the community side, Coca-Cola’s foundations and bottlers have improved water access for hundreds of thousands of Mexicans. The Coca-Cola Mexico Foundation alone cites impacting “more than 397,000” people with water and sanitation initiatives. The Lazos de Agua program’s Phase 1 reached ~235,000 people (and Phase 2 targets +1 million more by 2030).
In schools, hundreds of systems capture up to 10 million liters per year for students. Restoration work has planted 79 million trees to recharge aquifers. In emergency response, Coca-Cola FEMSA delivered over 200,000 liters of clean water during 2024 climate crises. Even urban river projects are making headway: in 2025 Arca Continental and Coca‑Cola Mexico installed river-cleaning barriers on the Rio Bravo, intercepting 2.2 tons of trash and benefiting ~675,000 residents along the border.
Recent Developments and Future Goals
Coca-Cola Mexico continues to advance its water agenda. In 2024 it formally joined the UN CEO Water Mandate’s Water Resilience Coalition, committing to improve water security in 100 vulnerable basins by 2030. In 2025, the AWS Platinum certification of its concentrate plant reflected “continuous improvements” and leadership in water management. The new infiltration projects in Sonora and Durango (2024) are underway, and dozens of community projects proceed.
Looking ahead, the industry’s publicly stated goals remain: 100% water replenishment by 2030 and clean water for 3 million Mexicans by 2028. To achieve this, Coca-Cola Mexico will keep funding natural infrastructure (e.g. wetlands, reforestation) and community programs (rainwater harvesting, sanitation) and expanding partnerships across government, NGOs and local communities. These efforts – from school water tanks to watershed restoration – demonstrate that Coca-Cola Mexico treats water stewardship as integral to its business and social commitments