Clif Bar joins Connect the Drops campaign to protect water supply in California

Article by Douglas Yu, 17-Dec-2015 http://www.bakeryandsnacks.com/Markets/Clif-Bar-joins-campaign-to-protec...

CLIF BAR JOINS CONNECT THE DROPS CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT WATER SUPPLY IN CALIFORNIA 

California-based snacking and nutrition brand Clif Bar has joined a campaign to help conserve the state’s water supply.

The Connect the Drops initiative – which counts General Mills and Coca-Cola among its members – is coordinated by non-profit organisation Ceres and aims to improve water sustainability in California, which has suffered severe drought.

“Clif Bar now has the opportunity to learn from its peers, even though they have different commodities,” said Ceres director Ana Zacapa. “It will also be part of the discussion on water policy.”

Water stewardship goals

By joining Connect the Drops, companies are committed to having or setting public water stewardship goals, publicly sharing their water- related stories, and engaging on California’s water policy.

“We try to maximize water supplies through conservation, recycle, reuse, storm water capture,” added Zacapa.

Clif Bar said one reason it has joined the campaign is because it believes organic ingredient sourcing has a positive impact on water stewardship in the agricultural supply chain. Currently, around 74% of the Clif Bar’s ingredients are organic, and the company hopes to reach 80% in five years.

“Organic farming, which results in less pesticide runoff, is aligned with good sustainable water management practices,” said Zacapa.“In this respect, having the know-how and supply chains in organic products could represent a competitive advantage for a business in a water constrained environment.”