New partnership between The Coca-Cola Foundation and Cardano to improve access to clean water and improved sanitation in emerging and developing economies.

On 23rd May, The Coca-Cola Foundation has agreed to support Cardano’s commitment to mobilize institutional capital to increase access to clean water and improved sanitation in emerging and developing economies. The stark statistics from the United Nations and World Health Organization speak for themselves. Clean drinking water is inaccessible to 2.2 billion people, and 3.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation facilities. For over 419 million people, open defecation is the only option. Access to clean water and improved sanitation is a matter of life and death, as evidenced by the daily deaths of 1,000 children under the age of five due to a lack of clean water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene. In total, 830,000 people die each year from diseases related to poor hygiene, such as cholera and diarrhoea. Investing in access to clean water and improved sanitation is however an often-overlooked area for institutional investors. This is surprising given its potentially significant impact on health, education, gender equality, and economic growth.

Jorg Sunderman, Head of Sustainable Asset Management at Cardano said: “Access to clean water and improved sanitation is an important issue that we need to address as impact investors. However, we see only a limited amount of institutional investors focussed on the issue, while the impact on people’s health and productivity is enormous. The development of the sewer system and the waterworks in the Netherlands took until deep in the 20th century, and has had a bigger impact on people’s health than the invention of penicillin. We are therefore happy to announce the partnership with The Coca-Cola Foundation to help mobilize institutional investors to invest in this theme as part of their impact strategy.”

“The Coca-Cola Foundation aims to play a catalytic role in providing water and sanitation to vulnerable communities facing water scarcity. We are excited to collaborate with Cardano to secure critical private sector funding and advocate for greater investment in this under resourced market segment. By ensuring access to clean water and better sanitation facilities, we aim to enhance both individual and community health and livelihoods,” said Saadia Madsbjerg, President of The Coca-Cola Foundation.