As we celebrate World Water Day on Tuesday, March 22, we are proud to highlight our partnership with CannedWater4Kids (CW4K), an organization dedicated to helping fund and build clean water initiatives around the world. Since 2010, Novelis has provided financial support to CW4K so that people living in the world’s most vulnerable areas can have access to safe, clean drinking water.

As an industry-supported initiative, CW4K partners with Novelis, our customers including Rexam, Ball and Crown, and other aluminum suppliers to can and sell canned water in the United States. Proceeds from the water sales help fund projects to bring drinking water to those in need around the world.

CW4K works alongside global development organizations like Engineers Without Borders to build infrastructure projects for hundreds of thousands of people in developing countries such as Zambia, Kenya and Guatemala. The organization also delivers water as part of relief efforts to disaster areas, such as following the Haiti earthquake and Japan tsunami.

“So many members of our industry – canmakers, aluminum manufacturers, vendors – are all coming together, donating what they can to make this non-profit work,” said Ashley Gravlee, Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility.

Although the CW4K’s main focus is on bringing clean water to impoverished countries, the organization has also donated canned water here in the United States. In February, CW4K sent two trucks carrying more than 100,000 cans of water to Flint, Michigan, a small community that grabbed worldwide headlines after the city’s water supply was contaminated with high levels of hazardous material.

Earlier this month, CW4K and national food and hospitality provider Aramark announced they would partner to eliminate plastic bottle waste in Yosemite National Park by offering aluminum canned water. This project is a critical piece to the National Park Service’s efforts to reduce the park’s environmental impacts and carbon footprint.

“CannedWater4Kids’ efforts show the power of working with customers, competitors, and everyone up and down our supply chain to do something good for the environment and those in need,” added Gravelee. “This is a collective impact that matters.”