To mark World Water Day, Suntory Beverage & Food Great Britain & Ireland (SBF GB&I) - owner of Lucozade and Ribena - is partnering with Severn Rivers Trust, the only charitable trust that covers the whole of the UK’s longest river, to launch its Water Wisdom Days in the UK. The new pilot programme is inspired by the water education projects created by SBF GB&I’s parent company, Suntory Group in Japan.
Starting in June, families will be able to book onto twelve free Water Wisdom Days during the school holidays at Lydney Harbour, Diglis Island and Severn Country Park, all located along the River Severn. Diglis Island is especially famous for its fish pass, which helps migratory species such as salmon and the endangered twaite shad, one of the UK’s rarest fish species, to reach their spawning grounds.
This year’s World Water Day theme is ‘making the invisible visible’, which will be brought to life through the programme by helping families realise the beauty of nature and understand how woodlands, wildlife and water all interact in harmony.
At SBF GB&I, we follow a Japanese philosophy of “Mizu To Ikiru”, which translates to “living with water”. It is a recognition that not only is this precious natural resource vital to our business, but also for all living things, and we have a responsibility to protect it. Severn Rivers Trust is a perfect partner for helping us turn this commitment into action and help educate more people about the importance of water conservation.
The Water Wisdom Days will highlight why the lifecycle of water is so important and encourage participants to reflect and act to preserve and protect our water, rivers and wildlife. Participants will have the opportunity to get involved in a range of hands-on activities, from observing the local wildlife and sampling water, to making creative homes for “minibeasts” which provide essential food to migratory fish.
The activities will focus on the River Severn and will also highlight the critical link between the water source and its surrounding woodlands. This link between woodlands, forests and natural water sources is central to Suntory Group’s philosophy around the importance of water. Accompanying the Water Wisdom Days will also be a host of educational resources free to download from the SBF GB&I website.
We are delighted to be working with SBF GB&I to run these fun hands-on activities to introduce local families to their amazing rivers and bring to life why water is such an important resource. Our friendly team will be on hand to show visitors how to spot river wildlife, help them carry out their own water sampling, create a hotel for minibeasts, and discover changes we can make in our own lives to help save our rivers.
To fulfil its promise to manage natural resources sustainably, SBF GB&I is constantly innovating to minimise its environmental impact through the whole product lifecycle, including sustainable water management practices. In 2020, the company installed a £13 million high-speed filling line at its factory in Gloucestershire, which requires up to 40% less water to bottle each one of its drinks. In addition, 60 per cent of all water is sourced from on-site boreholes and a new water recovery unit has been installed that stops wastage by recovering, treating and reusing any excess water.
This World Water Day, I am delighted to see this positive partnership taking action to improve our most precious natural resource. While we have seen huge progress in our water environment since 2010, there is still much to do to protect it from the growing pressures of climate change and population growth. We all need to do our bit now and for the future, so I’m particularly heartened to see families engaging with the protection of our natural environment. It’s encouraging to see this partnership driving awareness of how vital water is not just for people, but for all wildlife, and how we can all act to safeguard and preserve it.
The Water Wisdom Days were inspired by SBF GB&I’s parent company - Suntory Group’s Mizuiku programme, which to date has engaged 290,000 people across the world.[1] The programme started in Japan in 2004 and has now expanded to Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, France and China, teaching about the importance and value of water with tailored initiatives for each country. Suntory Group has a target of expanding its water education programmes and initiatives to provide safe water access to more than 1 million people by 20230.
SBF GB&I hopes this pilot programme will pave the way for future projects that educate even more people on the importance of water in years to come.
Notes to Editors
The full list of events, including dates and locations, can be booked on Eventbrite here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/severn-rivers-trust-14898006115
[1] as of 2020