2014 · Arabia Tetra Pak Manufacturing Ltd Lot 88-103, Phase 3, Jcci, Warehouse City 21413 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Tel +966-2 635 1515 Argentina and Uruguay Tetra Pak SRL

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Tetra Pak, ,PROTECTS WHAT’S GOOD, Tetra Brik, Tetra Classic, Tetra Evero, Tetra Fino,Tetra Gemina, Tetra Prisma, Tetra Recart, Tetra Rex, Tetra Top, and Tetra Wedge are some of the trademarks belonging to the Tetra Pak Group.

www.tetrapak.com

Theme: Water

No.

2014

Arabia Tetra Pak Manufacturing Ltd Lot 88-103, Phase 3, Jcci, Warehouse City21413 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Tel +966-2 635 1515Argentina and Uruguay Tetra Pak SRL Uruguay 2887, Victoria B1644HJI, Pcia de Buenos AiresTel +54 11 4725 7600Australia Tetra Pak Marketing Pty Ltd2A Hill Road, Homebush Bay, N.S.W. 2127Tel +61-2 8719 7300Austria Tetra Pak GmbHAm Euro Platz 2, 1120 WienTel +43 1 897 2200 Balkans Tetra Pak Production d.o.o. Beograd Milutina Milankovica 11b, 11070 Belgrade, SerbiaTel +381-11 2017 333Baltic States Tetra Pak Baltic StatesK. Ulmana gatve 86 f. Riga, Latvia Tel +371-760 2000 Belgium Tetra Pak Belgium NV/SAA.Gossetlaan 28A Bus 1, 1702 Groot Bijgaarden Tel +32-2467 6811 Brazil and Paraguay Tetra Pak LtdaAv.das Nações Unidas,4777– 10° andar Ed.Villa-Lobos – Alto de Pinheiros05477-000 São Paulo, SPTel +55-11 5501 3200Canada Tetra Pak Canada Inc777 Bay Street, Suite 2902, Toronto MGG 2C8Tel +1 647 775 1854Central America and Caribbean Tetra Pak S.A.Ave. Samuel Lewis y Calle 55 Obarrio Edificio Plaza Globus, piso 7,Panama Tel +507 2085800Central Asia Tetra Pak Kazakhstan Ltd22 Zenkov Street, 050010 Almaty, KazakhstanTel +7 727 259 84 00Chile Tetra Pak de Chile Ltda Av El Bosque Sur 130, Piso 8 Las Condes, 676 0435 SantiagoTel +56 2 940 7000China (PR) Tetra Pak China Ltd 29th fl, CITIC Sq, 1168 Nanjing Xi Lu, Shanghai 200041Tel +8621-3217 4688Colombia and Ecuador Tetra Pak Ltda World Trade Center, Calle 100 No 8A-55, Torre C, Oficina 209, Bogota Tel +57-1 628 3630Czech Tetra Pak Ceská republic s.r.o. Nova cesta 17, 140 21 Praha 4 Tel +420-2 6100 7111 East Mediterranean Tetra Pak East Med.Mkalles 691 Centre, Beiruth, LebanonTel +961-1-693 777 Egypt Tetra Pak Egypt Ltd Block 72 City Center 3rd Floor, fromTeseen St. Beside Banking Center, New Cairo Tel +2 02 26160180 Finland Tetra Pak Oy Meijeritie 2, 00370 HelsinkiTel +358-207633611 France Tetra Pak France420, rue d’Estienne d’Orves,92705 Colombes Cedex Tel +33-1 56 47 5000Germany Tetra Pak Mid Europe Frankfurter Strasse 79-81, 65233 Hochheim Tel +49-6146 590 Tetra Pak Processing GmbHSenefelder - Ring 27, 21465 Reinbek Tel +49-40 600 910, Greece Tetra Pak Hellas SA Kifissias 56 & Delfon 15125 Marousi, Athens Tel +30-210 616 7500

TETRA PAK PROCESSING AND PACKAGING SYSTEMS ARE MARKETED BY, AMONG OTHERS

Hungary Tetra Pak Hungary Ltd P O Box 200, Industrial Site 2041 Budaörs, Hungary Tel +36-23 885 200 India Tetra Pak India Pvt Ltd Global Business Park, Tower C, 5th fl.Mehroli-Gurgaon Rd 122001 Gurgaon, HaryanaTel +91-124 256 5630Indonesia PT Tetra Pak IndonesiaJl. Buncit Raya Kav.100, Lantai 3 Jakarta 12510Tel +62-21 7917 8000Iran Tetra Pak Iran1st fl. Khorshid Bldg.No.1264, Vali Asr Ave.Tehran 1435674173Tel +9821-82 139 000Ireland Tetra Pak Ireland Ltd 5th Floor, 1 Tuansgate, Belgard Square East,Tallaght, Dublin 24Tel +353-1 467 8000Italy Tetra Pak Italiana SpA Viale della Resistenza 56/A, 42048 Rubiera (RE)Tel +39-0522 263 411Japan Nihon Tetra Pak K.K. Kioicho Fukudaya Bldg. 6-12, Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8544Tel +81-3-5211 2111Kenya and East Africa Tetra Pak (Kenya) LtdP O Box 78340, Nairobi Tel +254 20 6909 000 Korea Tetra Pak Ltd 7F Ansung Tower, 737-35 Hannan-dongYongsan-gu, 140-895 Seoul, South KoreaTel +82-2 799 2302 Malaysia and Singapore Tetra Pak (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd1201 Level 12 Uptown 2, No.2 Jalan SS21/37 Damansara Uptown, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul EhsanTel +603 7724 7000Mexico Tetra Pak SA de CV Av.Ejército Nacional 843-B, Antara Polanco, Torre Paseo, Acceso A-Piso 2, Col.Granada,Del.Miguel Hidalgo, C.P.11520 México, D.F.Tel +52-55 2122 8700Morocco Tetra Pak Maghreb 69 rue Othmane Ibnou Affane 3ème etage,20000 Casablanca, MoroccoTel +212 2248 8150 Netherlands Tetra Pak B.V.Oostelijke Randweg 48 4782 PZ MoerdijkTel +31-168 386500 Tetra Pak Processing Systems BVHoofdveste 18, 3992 DG HoutenTel +31-305 349 999New Zealand Tetra Pak New Zealand Ltd Level 1, Tetra Pak Building, Waikato Innovation Park, Ruakura Lane, Hamilton 3214Tel +64 7 8591442Norway Tetra Pak AS P.O.Box 477, 1327 LysakerTel +47-67 83 30 00 Pakistan Tetra Pak Pakistan Ltd 316 - Upper Mall, Lahore 54000Tel +92-42 5710070-77Peru and Bolivia Tetra Pak SA (Perú)Av Victor A.Belaúnde 147 Centro Empresarial Edif. Real Seis Ofic. 403 Lima 27Tel +51 1 212 1060Philippines Tetra Pak Philippines Inc7/F Net One Center 26 St.Cnr. Third Ave Crescent Park W Distr Bonifacio Global City Taguig 1634, Metro Manila Tel +632 976 3400Poland Tetra Pak Poland & Danube Osmánska 14, 02-823 WarsawTel +48-22 5434 000

Portugal Tetra Pak Ibéria Av do Forte 12, 2790-072 CarnaxideTel +351-21 416 5600Romania Tetra Pak Romania S.R.L.1A, Ion Ionescu de la Brad St., Baneasa Airport tower, 3rd fl. BUCHAREST 1, Tel: +40 316206886Russia and Belarus Tetra Pak A/O8, Wilhelm Pieck str, 129226 MoscowTel +7-095 787 8000Slovenia, Croatia and Albania Tetra Pak d.o.o.Spruha 36, Trzin, 1236 Ljubljana, Slovenia Tel +386-1 5304 200South Africa Tetra Pak South Africa (Pty) Ltd 100 Electron Avenue, Isando, Gauteng 1600Tel +27-11 570 3000Spain Tetra Pak Ibéria Latón, 8 (Poligono Finanzauto) 28500 Arganda del Rey (Madrid)Tel +34-91 876 9500 Sweden and Denmark Tetra Pak Sweden AB Ruben Rausings gata, 221 86 LundTel: +46 46 36 10 00Switzerland Tetra Pak Mid EuropeEuropastrasse 30, 8152 Glattbrugg Tel +41-44 804 6600Taiwan Tetra Pak Taiwan Ltd 4, Wen Ming 3rd Street, Lin Kou Ind. Park 3,Taoyuan 333 Tel +886-3 328 3111 Thailand Tetra Pak (Thailand) Ltd 1042 Soi Sukhumvit 66/1, Sukhumvit RoadBangchak, Bangkok 10260 Tel +66-2 704 3000 Turkey Tetra Pak AS Buyukdere Cad. Nurol Plaza.No: 255 A-Blok Kat:10, 34398 Maslak-Istanbul Tel +90-212 444 68 78 Ukraine Tetra Pak Ukraine Mezhigirska ul.82, 04080 Kiev 80 Tel +380-44 230 3939United Arab Emirates Tetra Pak Gulf Jebel Ali Free Zone, S-10107 South Zone, DubaiTel +971-4 8811222United Kingdom Tetra Pak LtdThe Foundations, Herons Way, Chester Business Park, CH4 9QS ChesterTel. + 44 (0)1244 688000Tetra Pak Processing UK LtdSwan House, Peregrine Business ParkGomm Road, High Wycombe HP13 7DLTel +44 870 442 6400USA Tetra Pak Inc.3300 Airport Road, Denton, TX 76207Tel. +1 940 3842000Venezuela Tetra Pak C.A. Ave Francisco de Miranda Edif Torre KPMG piso 7, Chacao Caracas 1060Tel +58-212 277 71 00 West Africa Tetra Pak West Africa Ltd 2 IPM AvenueAlausa Ikeja, Lagos, NigeriaTel +234-1 448 23390Vietnam Tetra Pak Vietnam235 Dong Khoi Str Metropolitan Bldg 14th fl District 1, Ho Chi Minh City Tel +84- 8 3825 71 00

Tetra Pak Magazine No.103 2014, ISSN 0346-3044. The Tetra Pak Group’s International Company Magazine is produced in Sweden. The magazine is distributed to more than 150 countries and is available in Chinese, English, Finnish, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and selected issues in Japanese. Publisher: Christopher Huntley. Editor: Julie Trolley. Editorial board: Vincent Michelet, Carol Yang, Paul Wharton, Rolf Viberg, Julie Trolley. Produced by: Tetra Pak International, Ruben Rausings gata, 221 86 Lund, Sweden. Tel +39 059 898361, E-mail [email protected] . Graphic design: Wahlgren & Hansson, Malmö, Sweden, www.woh.se. Cover Image: Gettyimages/ Christopher Pillitz Paper Cover: Arctic paper/Amber Graphic, 240 g. Paper Body: Arctic paper/Amber Graphic, 120 g. Print: ExaktaPrinting Malmö, Sweden. ISO 14001 and FSC Certificates.

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363224Content No 103

2. Earth: the water planet 4. The fast-turning waterwheels of agriculture and industry 8. The planet´s dwindling

water supply 13. Thirsty for change 16. Water warriors 18. Water: The most critical asset in your

production strategy 22. Access to safe water worldwide 24. A global thirst for designer water

28. Exploration and trade 30. How water turned hunter-gatherers into farmers and engineers

32. There’s no place like Home 36. Liquid Love

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Earth: thE watEr planEt

Water is a significant feature of our planet; perhaps one of its most distinguishing characteristics. But just be-cause water is prominent on Earth does not mean that fresh water supplies are endless. Fresh water is actually quite limited. Humans use a lot of it – so much that we, as a species, have come to literally dominate the planet’s water cycle, crowding out other species and putting ourselves in jeopardy. For the benefit of future generations, we need to develop an entirely different relationship to the water cycle – one of vastly increased efficiency and long-term stewardship.

Evaporation from the sea rain from the cloud winds

Groundwater returns to the sea

2 TETRA PAK Magazine

how much watEr do humans nEEd?

A commonly used estimate of the average amount of water

ingested by a person in a day is two litres. This means that

the average person ingests 730 litres per year. The entire

human population thus takes in about 5.2 trillion litres, or

5.2 cubic km. Imagine a huge cube of water that's a little

under two km wide, two km deep and one and a half km high

– that’s how much water humanity drinks and eats in a year!

Although, when you consider that Peru and Bolivia’s Lake

Titicaca contains 893 cubic km, America’s Lake Superior

contains 11,600 cubic km, and Russia’s Lake Baikal – the

biggest - contains 23,615 cubic km, you realise that humanity’s

drinking water needs are just a drop in the bucket compared

to even the little portion of the Earth’s water that is fresh. So

why is it that we have a water problem? Surely all we need is

a small lake?

windsprecipitation Evaporation precipitation

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We use so much water! Where? The answer involves agriculture and industry. By comparison, all our showering, laundry-washing, lawn- watering and other individual water consumption accounts for a relatively modest share of annual per-capita water use.


The fasT-Turning waTerwheels of agriculTure and indusTryaGriculturE is numbEr onE

Agriculture, which uses over two-thirds of all freshwater

withdrawals, occupies 14 out of the top 15 sectors of produc-

tion in terms of litres per unit of economic value generated.

Number 1 is cereal grain production, followed by cotton,

sugar, tree nuts, and fruit. In fact, the only industrial use in

the top 15 is energy production and distribution at number 7.

In other words, most of the water that humanity uses

goes to produce food, fibre, animal feed, and to some

extent fuel – through agriculture. It’s interesting, to discover

that producing a kilogram of beef requires thousands of

litres of freshwater and a cup of coffee or a soft drink well

over 100 litres.

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industry drivEs towards GrEatEr watEr EfficiEncy

In industry, water can be used in a vast range of ways: as a

solvent, a coolant, a high-pressure cleaning tool, a cleanser,

a hydraulic fluid, and more. Around a decade ago, when water

prices were lower and awareness limited, water was used in

industrial processes with little restraint. Today, we are more

careful, with water prices and awareness both rising steadily.

Many multinational corporations have developed a corporate

water strategy, which includes a mixture of technical efficiency

initiatives, supply assurance and stakeholder relations. Car

production for instance may not come to mind as a water-

intensive industry and yet from 2000 to 2011, this approach

enabled one renowned car manufacturer to reduce water

consumption from 9,8 to 4,7 cubic metres per car produced

globally and achieve a total annual reduction of 60%, or

almost 38 million cubic meters. And Facebook just started

reporting the water it uses indirectly through the lifecycles

of the energy it purchases.

tEtra pak procEssinG risEs to thE challEnGE

Operating in the food processing and packaging business

means a lot of water consumption to keep the business

going, both technically and hygienically.

Saving water in the land of the NileInnovations from Tetra Pak Processing are saving Faragalla in Egypt 600,000 litres of water per day – according to FAO, that's equivalent to the daily water requirement for around 200,000 people.

Tetra Pak is constantly working hard to find innovative

solutions to help its customers save water and improve

their production processes. For instance, thanks to the novel

filtration unit available for the Tetra Tebel Alfomatic cheddaring

machine, approximately 40% of the total water it uses can now

be recovered and recycled during all of the various rinsing

phases. In the case of one large producer in France, where

some 1,1 million litres of milk are processed to make

mozzarella cheese, this translates in to around a saving of

50,000 litres of water every day.

That’s a lot of water!

Tetra Tebel Alfomatic cheddaring machine, rinse water can now be recovered and recycled.


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WaterThe planet´s dwindling water supply

They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and today’s global water challenges obey this principle.


H2OWaterH2OWaterthE dEplEtion of thE aquifErs

In many parts of the world, expanding human populations

and agricultural production rely on “fossil water” - water that

has accumulated over millennia in aquifers deep under-

ground – and this is rapidly being depleted as wells pump it

to the surface.

Examples of aquifer depletion can be seen in the USA, India,

and China. India extracts more water than any other nation

from wells and aquifers, and China is not far behind with the

vast bulk being used for agriculture - often rather inefficiently.

Each of these nations has about one-fifth of the world’s

population, so their high water extraction rates are probably

to be expected. The USA however, is home to less than 5%

of the human population yet extracts nearly as much water

as the other two. The reason? Large agro-industrial production

and a huge food export base that supplies countries in almost

every part of the globe. In short, providing food to communities

worldwide is taking its toll on the once abundant underground

water resources. And yet, ironically, one of the greatest

problems of fossil water depletion is the negative effect it is

having on global food supply. Grain yields are falling all over

the world as a consequence of shrinking aquifers.

What is an aquifer?An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt) from which groundwater can be extracted using a water well. They can occur at various depths. Those closer to the surface are likely to be used for water supply and irrigation, and also more likely to be topped up by the local rainfall.

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pEak watEr – a thrEat to our futurE?

Unlike fossil fuels, fossil water is a

renewable resource. However, given

the limited technology we have at

hand today, we could be approaching

the point where the extraction of fossil

water is reaching its peak; it may never

yield as much again. So the question

is, what happens next?

some ideas that offer a way forward: greater agricultural efficiency

The goal here is to use less water

by putting it only where it’s needed,

minimizing the amount of water that’s

lost to evaporation, consumption by

weeds, leakages and other such losses.

Measures include drip irrigation,

deeper mulching/compost application,

greenhouses and hoop houses, as well

as introducing hardier crops.

Dryfarming means planting drought-resistant

crops and maintaining a fine surface soil.

A key goal here is to use less water by putting it only where it’s

needed and drip irrigation is one good measure.

dryfarming in california

One small scale, but shining example

of efficient water use is at this vineyard

in Santa Barbara County, California.

The grapes at Condor’s Hope are

nurtured solely by rainwater; no other

irrigation methods are used.

Dryfarming means planting drought-

resistant crops and maintaining a fine

surface soil or mulch that protects

the natural moisture of the soil from

evaporation.

reforestation

Planting trees allows soils to retain

more rainwater and recharges surface

and shallow ground water supplies.

Reforested areas also maintain higher

air humidity, which assists nearby

agriculture. Conserving and improving

soils and preventing erosion go hand

in hand with this, as they reduce run-

off and increase the ability of land to

grow forests too.


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forestry in a treeless land

The Icelandic Forest Service defines

itself as working on “Forestry in a

treeless land.” The IFS explains that it

is not the Icelandic turf or climate that

is behind its treelessness. Rather, it is

a history of poor land-use decisions.

To combat these conditions, the IFS

planted more than 4 million seedlings

during the 1990s, an effort they have

expanded to include direct seeding,

the use of tree nurseries, and the

reintroduction of native birch.

The main component in Tetra Pak

cartons is wood fibre which comes

from continuously growing forests

where new trees replace the ones

that are harvested. In 2013, 32 billion

Tetra Pak packages carried the FSC™

(Forestry Stewardship Council) label

in more than 50 countries around the

world.

The main component in Tetra Pak® cartons is wood fibre.

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repairing leaky water mains

Recently, the World Bank estimated that as much as 60% of

all water withdrawn by humans is lost due to leaky pipes.

So, repairing and in some cases modernizing the water

infrastructure would make a big difference.

demand-side management

Managing our water consumption in settled areas through

public information campaigns and selective pricing could

both reduce waste and encourage smarter practices. These

include planting indigenous vegetation that is suited to the

local climate, washing cars less often, putting low-flow

nozzles in showers and sinks and using low-flow toilets.

did you know that by 2025

Water withdrawals are predicted to increase by:

• 50 per cent in developing countries

• 18 per cent in developed countries

Think - at 1 drip per second, a tap can leak 7,800 litres of water per year!


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In many parts of the world water withdrawals are sustainable,

and of course the distribution of water stress around the

world is very uneven; the world is divided into the “water

haves” and “water have-nots”.

Many inventors, companies, university researchers, government

agencies and others are dedicating enormous time and

resources to solve the global water problem. Their efforts

appear to be paying off. Here are just a handful of the many

ideas we came across in our research.

clEan drinkinG watEr for morE than 300 pEoplE a day!

The inventor Dean Kamen, famous for many innovations

including the Segway two-wheeled self-balancing vehicle,

has been dedicating his creative energies to the pursuit of

clean water for the world’s poor. His design firm, DEKA, is

developing a water purifier based on their experience with

dialysis technology. Kamen notes that at least half of all human

diseases in the world today are caused by water-borne

pathogens. Bad water is responsible for the deaths of over

2 million people a year – most of them children.

Thirsty for change

Withdrawing water from fossil aquifers, shallow ground water wells, and surface waters are currently the main ways in which we obtain water for human populations, agriculture, and industry. Other sources such as desalination

and rainwater harvesting are so far negligible.

Superheated water is vented from the ground near a lava flow and used to run turbines that generate electricity.


kamen’s slingshot produces pure, drinkable water from

literally any source, including salt water, chemically contaminated

water, and water full of biological parasites. It is designed to

operate for five years with no expert maintenance, and comes

in a sealed plastic box that can withstand rough conditions.

Energy comes from a Stirling engine burning a range of

possible combustible fuels, including wood and even cow

dung. Water is purified using vapour compression distillation.

One unit has the capacity to produce 1,000 litres of drinking

water per day – enough to sustain 300 people.

DEKA is rolling this innovation out slowly. Slingshots are

being shipped mainly to Africa and South America, whilst

a consortium of global companies are working together to

install 2,000 Slingshots in rural

communities in 20 different

countries by the end of 2015.

We should be hearing more

about the Slingshot soon.

lifEstraw® - a world chanGinG idEa

Introduced nearly ten years ago

by Switzerland-based Vestergaard, LifeStraw is a filtration

device used to drink biologically contaminated water, yet

avoid infection by parasites. One straw, can provide a

person with 1,000 litres – all the drinking water they will

need in a year.

lifestraw has played a critical role in many natural disasters,

from the 2010 Haiti earthquake and Pakistan floods to the

recent typhoon tragedy in the Philippines. LifeStraw works

just like any other straw and can remove 99.9999% of water-

borne bacteria and 99.9% of parasites.

simplE solutions to tricky problEms

Sometimes the water issues facing the world’s poor are very

immediate, small-scale, and concrete. Can I purify contaminated

water? Can I get it home from a communal well or water hole?

Can I pump it into a house, stable or field without the help of

electricity?

Without rational answers to these questions, the result

might be excessive expenditures of time and physical

labour, illness, or both.

Simple, practical solutions may bridge gaps that appear

trivial to people in industrialized nations, but present genuine

barriers to a third of humanity. Examples of such solutions

are proliferating. They include the filtrón clay filtration pot,

from Potters for Peace of Latin America, and the watercone®

solar water purifier, from Germany. filtrón is a simple

household filter which treats contaminated water in order to

render it safe to drink. It consists of a simple clay filtering

element that can be made by local potters using local materials,

with no need for electricity or advanced technology. The filter

has the capacity to meet the daily drinking water needs of a

family of 6 to 8 people. the watercone is a solar powered

water desalinator that from salt water, generates up to 1,7 litres

per day of freshwater - a child`s daily need of freshwater.

Then there are the q-drum and the hippo water roller,

both South African, which greatly increase the amount of water

that an adult or child can transport on foot. In both cases, the

tethered water container rolls along the ground, a convenient

feature if the well is several kilometres from one’s dwelling.

LifeStraw works just like any other straw and can remove 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria and 99.9% of parasites.


Hippo Water Roller which greatly increases the amount of water that an adult or child can transport on foot.

Q-Drum.

Roundabout PlayPump.

For electricity-free pumping, San Francisco-based KickStart

has come up with the super-moneymaker: a foot-pedalled

irrigation pump aimed at the African countryside where its

efficiency can significantly increase a farm family’s ability to

grow food, eat better, and so improve its finances.

With equally serious intentions is the south african round-

about playpump. This pump uses the energy of a spinning

playground merry-go-round to pull water from a well up into

a small water tower, and makes fetching water look like child’s

play. While the concept’s practical value is still being proven, it

exemplifies the spirit of creative yet pragmatic thinking in the

search for solutions to the world’s many water challenges.

a showEr that rEcyclEs its own wastE-watEr

Our personal hygiene habits emerged long ago as one of

the culprits in heavy water use. A human only needs roughly

a cubic meter of drinking water per year, yet per-person

withdrawals of freshwater around the world range from a few

hundred cubic meters to over two thousand cubic meters per

year. A significant portion of this is due to baths and showers.

Perhaps not surprising, then, that even in countries with

relatively abundant water, rising awareness of energy and

environmental issues has prompted a concerted effort to

reduce bathroom water consumption, including low-flow

shower-heads.

For example, the new orbsys shower, which uses a tech-

nology originally developed for spaceflight, can purify and

recycle 90% of the water that goes down its drain, returning

it to the head for further use, reducing energy consumption

by 80% compared to conventional shower. The beauty of

this system is that, unlike low-flow heads, the OrbSys main-

tains a good strong flow rate, while still saving water, energy

and money.


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Such was the situation encountered by Rajendra Singh, an

idealistic young Indian doctor, and four of his friends, all part

of the Tarun Bharat Sangh ("Young India Organization"),

when they moved to the Alwar district of Rajasthan to start a

clinic in 1985. Once there, they discovered that the greatest

need was however water. There was a water crisis, and it was

limiting the food farmers could grow and the incomes they

could earn. Work began on restoring traditional earthen

dams (johad) for rainwater catchment and underground

water replenishment. Working only for food, a number of

villagers joined the team to restore the first johad. The

following year, a larger dam was restored with an estimated

10,000 person-days of labour by the residents.

Once the dams were constructed, they had only to wait for

the monsoon rains. The ponds behind the dams filled with

rainwater, which seeped into the underground water, and

wells began to flow again. Underground transport of the

water from dams to wells was achieved at no expense for

infrastructure such as pipes or ditches, and no water was lost to

evaporation. Rivers and streams were restored to year-round

flows, providing further "free" water distribution. The higher

water table meant that crops could grow with less irrigation

and trees could grow close enough to villages to reduce the

effort for firewood collection.

Results from the very first pond were seen in just a few

months. During the monsoon it filled with water and a nearby

well began flowing again. This quick payback inspired more

dam building. Ten years later there were 10 such ponds in

Gopalpura, holding over 735 million litres of water. The

practice eventually spread to 750 other villages.

The circle of positive effects—more water, more agriculture,

more vegetation, less erosion, more water—and the related

social benefits (e.g., men returning to the village) ensured

the sustainability of the gains. It was no longer necessary for

women and children to haul water from distant sources. As

a consequence, women had more time for child care and

supplemental economic activities, while children had time to

return to school and the education that could provide them a

more secure future.

Now, almost thirty years later, Rajendra Singh is still labouring to

restore the johad system. An entire society has been restored.

Today, the impact of Singh and his “water warriors” can be felt

across the entire region. Hundreds and hundreds of villages

have resumed their traditional johad practices. The idea was

simple. The water returned.

Results from the very first pond were seen in just a few months.

Water warriors; Harvesting rainwater to replenish

underground water in India

When rain falls, unless there is absorbent soil and various hollows and wetlands to trap it, the water will run off and vanish. This is a destructive process, leaving the land infertile and

lowering groundwater to levels at which wells run dry. (Source: EcoTippingPoints.Org)


%

No commodity seems to be more top-of-

mind in the American consciousness than

fuel. The media reports its price swings

so frequently that I know the numbers

by heart—today gas is $4.27 per gallon

today in greater Chicago, where I work

and reside, and crude oil just hit a nine-

month peak of $106.11.

Justifiably, we angst continuously over the

price of petroleum, yet we seem to have

forgotten another precious, indispensable

and dangerously depleting resource:

water. And without this life-sustaining

substance, nothing else matters.

Like crude oil, water prices have surged in

the last 12 years, doubling or tripling in

many parts of the U.S, according to a USA

Today study of 100 municipalities. Think

of what that does to living expenses and

business costs. And like crude oil, which

is still threatened despite the current

production boom here in the U.S., water

is getting scarcer by the minute.

Many Americans could soon realize this,

since water shortages due to high de-

mand and climate change have become

a realistic possibility in New York City,

Washington D.C., Los Angeles and San

Diego—where approximately 40 million

Americans reside—as well as most of

Municipal water loss in Canada, Mexico

and the United States ranges between 20

and 50 per cent.

Water: The most critical asset in your production strategyIt’s the new oil, and both need to be in the business mix.

Source: extract from Huffington Post, by Michael Zacka, Cluster Vice President, Tetra Pak.

California and breadbasket states including

Nebraska, Illinois and Minnesota, notes

Columbia University Water Center’s new

study, “America’s Water Risk: Water

Stress and Climate Variability.” The vast

majority of our food is produced in these

water-stressed regions.

Analysts are constantly reminding us

that new discoveries of ‘black gold’

can’t keep up with declining production

from established sources and rising car

production, especially in Asia. Likewise,

we need to raise awareness when it comes

to water scarcity.

Water Scarcity Is Everywhere

Unpardonably, 2.6 billion people—more

than a third of the world’s population

—don’t have access to clean water or live

in water-stressed areas. And it is expected


Lost in the pipe.Number of gallons of water that leak from utility pipes before reaching customers:

U.S 1 of 6U.K 1 of 6ITALY 1 of 4

that water demand will exceed supply

by 40 per cent by 2030. Alan Hinchman,

Global Market Director of Infrastructure

at GE Intelligent Platforms, told my col-

leagues and me this disturbing statistic

at a conference hosted by Tetra Pak for

North American business leaders in the

food and beverage industry. We called on

GE since they’re now one of the world’s

leading suppliers of sustainable water

and process systems solutions.

Alan also told us that municipal water

loss in Canada, Mexico and the United

States ranges between 20 and 50 per

cent. Think about it: “for every 1,000

gallons of water we use, somewhere

between 250 to 1,000 more [gallons]

were pumped and lost by leaking pipes,”

Alan said. This helps explain why North

Americans have the largest water footprint

in the world (currently 2,060 gallons per

person a day, according to nature.org). So

not surprisingly, Alan warned us "North

America has a huge water infrastructure

bill coming due.”

What The Numbers Mean

Ironically, most companies have sophisti-

cated and effective sustainability programs

in place. Yet water management seems

to be one of their least obvious areas of

immediate concern, noted Alan, basing

his analysis on astute observation: “I’m

seeing more and more companies locating

in water-challenged areas, even though

the increased demand and reduced avail-

ability of quality water is raising its cost

and the risk of productivity disruptions.”

None of us can afford to waste water

anymore. “Many civilizations have been

crippled or destroyed by an inability to

understand water or manage it. We have

a huge advantage over the generations

of people who have come before us,

because we can understand water and

we can use it smartly,” notes award-

winning journalist Charles Fishman in

his ground-breaking tome, “The Big Thirst:

The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of

Water.” And everyone can achieve this

goal. For example, between 1980 and

now, farmers have reduced their water

use by 15 per cent, but produce 70 per

cent more food. That’s a 100 per cent

increase in farm-water-productivity,

notes Fishman.


How To Create A Water-Use Plan

Bottom line, “we’re quickly going from a

world where water is relatively free to one

where it will cost a lot. The government

will have to figure out the infrastructure

issues, but we have to streamline our own

processes and make smart water decisions

right now,” Alan warned. Like innovation,

which is an entire business practice area

rather than just a single, or even series,

of new solutions, it must become an inte-

gral and deep part of an overall business

strategy. Experts like Alan say there’s room

in every step of the production process for

improvement.

1. Determine the true cost of the

water you use, starting with a

comprehensive analysis of current water

use, and allocate it more efficiently. A

case in Australia illustrates this; water

treatment giant Yarra Valley Water just

had the British natural capital consultancy

Trucost assess the real environmental costs

of the water it uses, and found that one

cubic meter of water actually ranges from

ten cents to $15 AU in areas of extreme

scarcity. Yarra Valley is now using this

information to evaluate its new infra-

structure investments, procurement

strategies and product portfolios.

2. Carefully manage your supply

chain. Most companies’ direct

water use pales in comparison to their

embedded water use, which means the

amount of water required to produce every

aspect of a product from start to finish. For

example, according to the U.S. Geological

Survey, to make a single slice of bread,

single cup of coffee or grow one pound

of corn it takes 10, 35 and 110 gallons of

water, respectively. According to the GE

Water Facts video, it takes 2,700 gallons

of water to make one hamburger. The

supply chain is a primary focus of water

stewardship activity for companies that

include Ikea and Levi Strauss & Co. Levi has

reduced water by 50 per cent since 2005

through sustainable cotton cultivation.

Here’s how:

4– out of –

10

People worldwide who either have no access to clean water or must walk to retrive it:

CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER


3. Minimize water use in your

production process. At Tetra

Pak, our Design for Environment (DfE)

program considers every aspect of product

design, production and operation to reduce

water loss, also offering this as a competitive

advantage to our customers. For example,

our Tetra Lactenso Aseptic with OneStep

technology for the processing of aseptic

milk reduces water utilization by 60 per

cent and our Tetra Therm pasteurizers

use cutting-edge intelligent automation

to drive resource efficiencies that slash

water consumption by up to 80 per cent

compared to older versions.

4. Increase water recycling and

reuse. Manage water quality

through responsible wastewater

collection, treatment, recycling and dis-

posal, and monitor activities that can

potentially cause water quality problems.

Reusing wastewater can reduce

the potential impact of discharging

pollutants into water sources, and/or

reduce the demand on potable water

supplies.

5. Design Water-Savvy Plants and

Products. Sustainable design

must go from ‘emergent’ to ‘entrenched’

right now. Any product design process

must start with a total life cycle analysis

that gauges its water impact. This

means taking into consideration the

entire supply chain, manufacturing and

distribution procesand how it will be

recycled and/or disposed of to optimize

its water metrics.

All of these processes can help us better

manage this precious resource, but are

just a starting point. So here is to hoping

it won’t be long before we all figure out

how to not only implement them, but also

come up with innovative new strategies

to better these methods.

Unpardonably, 2.6 billion people—more than a third of the world’s population—don’t have access to clean water or live in water-stressed areas.

1,460gallons

1,920gallons

1,360gallons

1955 ........

1980 ........

2005 ........

Per capitawater use in the U.S(per day)

CONVERSATIONNATION


91 - 100%

76 - 90%

50 - 75%

<50%

1990 2010

who has access To iMProVed drinKing waTer*

insufficiEnt dataor not applicablE

* Improved drinking water sources include sources that, by nature of their construction or through active intervention, are protected from outside contamination, particularly faecal matter.

11% of the global population, or 783 million people, remain without access to an improved source of drinking water

The number of people using improved drinking water sources reached 6.1 billion in 2010,up by over 2 billion since 1990.

49,6%Mauritania

46,5%democratic republic

of the congo


91 - 100%

76 - 90%

50 - 75%

<50%

1990 2010

who has access To iMProVed drinKing waTer*

* Improved drinking water sources include sources that, by nature of their construction or through active intervention, are protected from outside contamination, particularly faecal matter.

49,2%Mozambique

49,6%Madagascar

39,7%Papua new guinea

iMProVed uniMProVed

Piped water Cart with small tank

Protected dug well Unprotected dug well

Public tap Tanker-truck

Rainwater Surface water

Tubewell or borehole Bottled water

Protected spring Unprotected spring

sources in 2010


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A global thirst for designer water

As sales of carbonated soft drinks continue to decline in advanced markets, global demand for packaged water is booming. What is behind today’s

enthusiasm for bottled H₂O in all its innovative forms?


watEr in a box

UK based Vivid Waters has recently launched Water in a Box, a plain plus three flavoured water range packed in Tetra Pak® cartons. Aimed at on the go consumption,

the drinks are packed in Tetra Prisma® Aseptic 330 Sq cartons with DreamCap™, an innovative drink-from, re-closable cap.

Packaged water has now surpassed

carbonated drinks as the leading

non-alcoholic beverage category.

Consumers are lapping up the

growing number of packaged water

options available on the market, with

Europe and North America accounting

for about 50% of global sales. In many

developed countries, the success of

packaged water rests on the lifestyle

trends of more health-conscious

consumers. However, in some of the

emerging markets, demand is also

driven by a need for safe drinking water

in areas where municipal supplies are

not always reliable. In the context of

emergency relief efforts, the distri-

bution of hundreds of thousands of

packages of pure drinking water to

the victims of a natural disaster is a

familiar image. Sometimes a sealed

package of pure water is literally a

life-saver.

sparklinG, minEral, or with a hint of citrus?

Packaged water is a hugely success-

ful product, even where municipal

water supplies are safe and trust-

worthy. In France and Italy, packaged

mineral water has long been popular

in both restaurants and homes, with

well-known brands associated with

particular natural sources. People often

have a favourite, and will describe the

virtues of their preferred brand with

the lyrical enthusiasm usually reserved

for wine. A favourite mineral water is

not only superior in taste, according to

its fans, but it’s also full of great health

benefits.

No one can argue that drinking plenty

of pure water isn’t good for you –

indeed, the spread of packaged water

in the developed world has proceeded

alongside the health and fitness trends

of recent decades. As with other

products, a previously generic basic

commodity - drinking water - has been

transformed into an expression of

individual taste.

For consumers who love water but

enjoy added taste, producers have

come up with a multitude of innovative

flavoured water options. One British

supermarket giant for example, lists no

less than 145 different water choices on

its website, of which 45 are flavoured.

In some ways, these offer health-con-

scious people the best of both worlds:

a diversity of tastes without any of the

calories!

Packaged water is also popular in

single portions to be consumed on the

go – practical for picnics, sports and

lunch boxes. Many schools prohibit

the consumption of sugary drinks on

their premises but have no objection

to water, whether sparkling, still or

flavoured.

packaGinG in all shapEs and sizEs

With all these thirst-quenching options

on the market, producers of ‘designer’

water work hard to differentiate their

product through innovative and

eye-catching packaging. A popular

alternative is water in carton packages,

which are robust, stackable and have

a smaller carbon footprint than their

plastic counterparts. Cartons also allow

for colourful, eye-catching designs

while satisfying many consumers’

requirements for an environmentally

friendly product.


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purity and convEniEncE

Some packaged water originates from

a particular natural spring and takes its

name from that spring. These prod-

ucts are associated with a location in

the same way as a cheese or wine; their

brand is the name of the location. Water

from some of these famous sources

is claimed to have health-enhancing

properties and many of these brands

have a distinctive taste. Some are also

naturally carbonated, or contain certain

minerals, features that producers

emphasise in their marketing.

Other water brands are in fact simply

tap water from a municipal source which

has been purified through a process of

reverse osmosis, ozonation, distillation

or deionization. The benefit for the

consumer is mainly in the convenience

of the packaging and the guarantee of

a pure, safe product. Where municipal

water is unsafe to drink, packaged water

is more than just trendy and convenient;

it is a necessity.

People can boil tap water in their

homes, but when they are out and

about, a sealed package is their safest

option. This accounts for the increase

in sales of packaged water in parts

of the world such as India, where

consumption is expected to increase

annually by more than 20% in the

next few years. Asian markets already

account for around a third of global

sales of packaged water, with plenty of

room for expansion.

Meanwhile, producers are coming up

with ever more innovative and enticing

versions of good old plain drinking

water.


aqua zana

Aqua Zana, natural spring water from the Canary Islands, recently released by JSP and packed in Tetra Prisma® Aseptic

330 Sq DreamCap™ packages.

faroE watEr

Faroe Water orginates from the remote North Atlantic location of the Faroe Islands. Deep within the mountains are natural springs where crystal clean Atlantic rain seeps into mountain crevices and

settles into pristine wells.

This natural spring water is now packed in Tetra Prisma® Aseptic 500 ml Sq packages allowing consumers to enjoy the freshness of

spring water wherever they are.

coconut watEr

Coconut water has moved from being a niche health product to an increasingly popular drink around the world particularly

over the last five years.

Changing consumer tastes and increasing health awareness have been important factors in bringing about the success of coconut water. Coconut water is

naturally low in fat, and has a number of health benefits: it contains electrolytes (potassium, magnesium, sodium, calcium, and phosphorous) needed for natural

rehydration and provides similar benefits to energy and sports drinks.

As coconut water has become more and more popular, the demand for products that people can drink on-the-go has increased and the majority of

coconut water is in fact sold in individual, on-the-go portion packs.

Tetra Pak was the first company to introduce aseptically packed coconut water which could be stored for long periods and packaged without altering

its natural texture and nutrients. Today, the company works closely with coconut water customers around the world to provide packaging solutions

which ensure product safety and convenience for consumers.

In 2012 Tetra Pak opened a Coconut Knowledge Centre in Singapore. This centre enables us to understand the characteristics of coconut products;

provide technical support to customers; develop new recipes; and expand knowledge sharing among our international network of experts.

cactus watEr

True Nopal Cactus Water was recently launched in America, packed in Tetra Prisma® Aseptic 1000 ml Square packages, maintaining its freshness.

True Nopal is made with the nutritious fruit of the prickly pear cactus and is 100 per cent all natural with no added sugars, no fat, no cholesterol,

no GMOs and is gluten-free.

A maybe less known but very healthy option is cactus water. Already a popular beverage in Mexico, South America, India, the Middle East and parts

of Europe, it has recently caught on in popularity in the United States too.

Cactus water comes from prickly pears - the fruit produced by one particular cacti, Opuntia - which offer a range of health benefits, containing a variety of

vitamins, a high fibre content and are rich in magnesium and potassium.

Additionally, this fruit is rich in amino acids, specifically taurine. Taurine has antioxidants and flavonoids, both of which are beneficial to the body.

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Exploration and trade

Over millennia water has exerted an extraordinary pull on the human imagination. It seems that we only have to see a sea to want to travel across it. The following

conquests enabled the world to become connected and, through trade, stay connected.


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connEctinG continEnts

A history of the great sea-faring nations doubles up

as a history of how nations learned to speak to one

another, although not always peacefully. There are

the Polynesians who used balsa-log boats to colonise

the Pacific; or the Vikings who used their long ships

to travel as far east as Constantinople and as far west

as Newfoundland; or the British who colonised North

America and Oceania and discovered the South Pole;

or the Spanish who colonised America and were the

first to circumnavigate the globe; or the Portuguese

who discovered a way round Africa to India and were

the first Europeans to travel to Indonesia, China and

Japan.

All these amazing feats of seamanship created the first

trade bonds. Both the Silk Road and the maritime Silk

Route were established in the 1st Century BC thereby

providing the opportunity for East to meet West.

And for an extraordinary four centuries (beginning

in the13th century) the Hanseatic League allowed a

collection of naval cities to form a trade monopoly

over most of Northern Europe and the Baltic, making

their merchants the wealthiest in Europe.

But the true ‘Age of Sail’ was launched by Vasco de

Gama when he sailed round the Cape of Good Hope

and reached Calicut. Thanks to Vasco’s seafaring

skills, control of the spice trade started to move

from the East to the West. Trade in the East Indies

was dominated by Portugal in the 16th Century, the

Dutch Republic in the 17th century and the British in

the 18th Century.

tradinG on rivErs and canals

De Gama’s feat has been regarded by many as the

‘Big Bang’ of globalization. However, water voyages

have not all been on a grand or international scale.

Travel and trade has always been a feature of life

up and down rivers, and where no natural water-

ways existed, people have often created them. The

building of canals was started by the Mesopotamians

as early as 4000 BC, and continued by the Chinese

when they created the Grand Canal of China, still

the longest canal in the world, at the turn of the 7th

Century. Canals provided the infrastructure for the

Industrial Revolutions in both America and Britain.

Over time, they were superseded by rail and road.

But even to this day, the Panama and Suez Canal are

of vital strategic importance.


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rEapinG what you sow

Until approximately 10,000 years ago, our ancestors did

not deliberately sow and harvest plants for consumption.

Communities subsisted on hunting and gathering, for which

they had developed tools and techniques. But certain

groups, in locations with a steady and relatively predictable

supply of fresh water, were able to take a great developmental

step forward in the form of early agriculture. This occurred

independently in several very different parts of the world;

each time in proximity to one or several rivers.

Sowing and harvesting crops meant that these early commu-

nities no longer had to be nomadic in order to survive

by hunting for edible plants and following game. Instead

they could focus on developing technologies to improve

their harvest: early engineering projects were in fact often

destined to control the flow and availability of water for

crops.

Early urban planninG alonG thE indus

This pattern – freshwater supply, agriculture, irrigation

systems - appears in the four major early riverine civilizations

which gave rise to the first sophisticated city states. It seems

that mastering the water supply was key to the development

of many other technologies, allowing human communities

to take their skills and knowledge to a completely new level.

Consider Harappa, an ancient city-state in the Indus Valley.

As early as 3000 BCE, this impressive civilization had sew-

erage and drainage systems that were far more advanced

than many to be found elsewhere in later centuries. Good

hygiene, coupled with efficient irrigation systems, allowed

the population along the Indus to flourish. Controlling the

freshwater supply and the flow of waste water was crucial to

the success of the Harappan civilization, which numbered

over five million people at its height. Harappan cities were

constructed using advanced urban planning and building

techniques. They applied a uniform system of weights and

measures and are credited with inventing dentistry as well as

a system of writing known as Indus script.

irriGation canals in thE cradlE of civilization

Similarly, the first city-based civilization in Mesopotamia,

around 3300 BCE, developed irrigation systems to divert

water from the two great rivers to crops in the region in

between them. Communities living in what is known as the

cradle of civilization learned to exploit the water supply

through a system of man-made canals, thereby guaranteeing

How water turned hunter-gatherers into farmers and engineers

It is not an exaggeration to say that the birth of major human civilization depended on close proximity to water. Enormous leaps forward, such as the invention of writing and irrigation technology, first happened in early human settlements located along major

rivers in very different parts of the world.

The Indus Valley Civilization Pakistan 1865.


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more reliable food production. Maintenance of the irrigation

network required a large amount of human labour, which led

to the development of urban centres and, eventually, city-

states. The fertile plains of Mesopotamia sustained the fertile

minds of their inhabitants, who went on to develop a written

language (Sumerian), in addition to mathematics, astronomy,

medicine, literature, philosophy and art.

ExploitinG floodwatEr alonG thE nilE

In ancient Egypt as well as along the Indus and in Mesopotamia,

irrigation technology also included the diversion of flood water.

The rich sediments in the flood waters improved agricultural out-

put, and the more secure food supply in turn allowed people to

focus on innovations beyond irrigation systems. Fishing will have

provided much-needed protein as well, probably contributing

to the population’s chances of thriving and developing new skills

and abilities. Visitors to Egypt today still marvel at the innovative

capabilities of the ancient Egyptians and their unrivalled building

techniques, of which the famous pyramids, temples and monu-

mental statues provide abundant proof.

watEr fostErs human inGEnuity

Chinese civilization was also born along a river – or more

than one. The Yellow River, or Huang He, was apparently

harnessed for irrigation purposes as early as the third

millennium BCE. The importance of irrigation engineering for

the region was such that warring city states would sabotage

each other’s canals and dykes, deliberately causing floods

in rival territories. But in peacetime, along these ancient

rivers, human ingenuity exploded in the form of techno-

logical advances, with a spill-over effect into many areas of

human endeavour besides agriculture. Architecture, urban

planning, art and handicrafts all developed in the early city

states, along with the great human breakthrough of written

language. In addition to providing essential water, the rivers

also acted as communication channels between the various

settlements along their banks. Traders and artisans exchanged

knowledge and skills, while materials were brought from distant

regions to produce artefacts, some of which are still being

unearthed by archaeologists today.

Without access to fresh water in the form of major rivers,

human civilization might never have developed as it did. The

many inventions and discoveries originating in the ancient

riverine civilization indicate that human potential is generally

enhanced and supported by the addition of water. This is

even true today, as access to clean drinking water, irrigation

for crops and good waste water disposal are preconditions

for the successful development of communities all over the

planet.

Pyramids at Gizeh with dhows on the Nile River. Yellow river Huang He in Qinghai Province in western China cradle of Chinese civilization.

Chinese calligraphy on ground with water brush.


Water may be essential to life, but the

land is where humans usually choose to

live. We may venture out on the water

for recreation, adventure or solitude,

but few of us can bear to be cut adrift

from solid ground for too long. What

would it be like to live each day without

ever setting foot on dry land? For most

of us, it’s hard to imagine. For some, it’s

a simple fact of life.

While exact numbers are hard to come

by, more people are living on the water

than you might think. Through choice or

necessity, individuals—and sometimes

even entire communities—are leaving

the shores behind to find a home

among the waves. On houseboats,

longboats, sailboats, makeshift rafts,

and even synthetic islands, these

water-dwellers are drifting outward to

colonize the shifting liquid surface that

covers more than 70 per cent of our

planet.

swEpt off thE land

For some, life on the water is the only

life possible. Driven from the land by

poverty or climatic extremes, these

fragile communities find ingenious

ways to adapt and survive.

When the land no longer welcomes

them, the rivers, lakes, and oceans

While most of us cling to the comforting stability of terra firma, others find creative ways to make the world’s oceans, lakes, and

waterways their permanent home.

There’s no place like Home

The liquid surface covers more than 70 per cent of

our planet.


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about 25,000 people. Sometimes

called “la Venise noire” (the black

Venice), it’s made up of hundreds of

tumbledown wooden shacks perched

on stilts above the grey, oily waters of

a shallow lagoon. The children learn

to swim before they walk, and every

family owns a long canoe used for

transportation and fishing—the way to

earn a living.

Further east, in Cambodia, the floating

village of Chong Khneas bobs on the

offer a last resort to some of the

world’s poorest citizens. On slender

wooden stilts or light bamboo vessels,

these waterborne societies may look

as though they would blow away in a

stiff wind, but many have endured for

centuries, sprawling further each year

until they stretch for miles and house

tens of thousands.

The neighbourhood of Makoko has

crowded the shores of Lagos for nearly

three centuries, and is now home to

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surface of the volatile Tonle Sap Lake.

Every year, the lake swells mightily and

floods the surrounding area, making

any kind of land settlement impossible.

Instead, the locals have built their entire

community on a series of bamboo

houseboats that contain homes, shops,

restaurants, and even a police station.


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in the neighbouring country of thailand, the moken, or

sea gypsies, believe their aquatic way of life is the result of a

curse laid upon them by an ancestral queen. For centuries,

the Moken have lived on boats called kabangs on which they

drift for most of the year. Over time, the water has actually

changed their physiology: the Moken have the ability to

see further and stay longer beneath the water than other

humans. When the tsunami ravaged the coast of Thailand in

2005, not a single Moken life was lost: they read the impending

disaster in the pattern of the waves they knew so well and took

to high ground before impact.

Eco-friEndly livinG

With sea levels now predicted to rise as much as one metre

by 2100, some of the world’s most creative minds are exploring

new ways to house the coastal inhabitants whose homes may

be submerged by the rising tides.

the government of kiribati, a tiny island in the South

Pacific, is also looking into the viability of floating islands to

re-house the “climate refugees” who will soon be pushed

out of their homes by rising sea levels. This development

would allow some 30,000 people to relocate to a series of

artificial islands that float on the water like lily pads. Islands

can be linked together to form self-sustaining “cities” that

include residential units, offices, services, shops, and even

arable land for growing crops.

Whilst working on plans for a floating village, Nigerian architect Kunlé Adeyemi has designed and built, using local materials and labour, a floating school in the watery heart of Makoko. Floating on 256 plastic barrels the school offers classrooms for around 100 children.

While the floating islands of Africa and Kiribati have yet to become reality, an enterprising artist/ecologist has already created an artificial floating island on a much smaller scale. Rishi Sowa built Spiral Island II, which floats near Cancun, Mexico, out of 100,000 recycled plastic bottles. The sandy island is about 18 metres in diameter, and includes a house, mangrove trees, and even a duck pond.

Moken have the ability to see further and stay longer beneath the water than other humans.

nigerian architect kunlé adeyemi is working on plans for

water cities that will allow the coastal waters of Africa to

sustain floating dwellings that minimize ecological impact,

expand the habitable area, and enable residents to weather

adverse environmental conditions including flooding and

storms. His living structures float on recycled barrels and are

powered sustainably by solar panels.


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takinG thE plunGE

Some people simply love the freedom of life on the water.

They trade a mortgage for moorage without a backward

glance at their old, landlocked lifestyle.

Water shifts and flows in ways that make life interesting,

especially when you can pick up any time and follow its

unpredictable course. All over the world, adventurous,

independent spirits choose to live on sailboats, longboats,

and houseboats that allow them to blend the comforts of

home with the thrill of adventure.

Amsterdam’s houseboat culture is a unique part of the city’s

distinctive charm. Today, about 2,500 houseboats—some of

them more than 100 years old—float along its labyrinthine

canal system, offering a unique mode of living for artists,

professionals and families.

Britain’s 2,000 miles of navigable waterways are also home

to more than 15,000 people who live on houseboats and the

distinctive, colourful narrow-boats designed to navigate the

nation’s slender canals.


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We need water to survive, of course; along with oxygen it is

a non-negotiable factor for sustaining life. A strong human

being can survive for a month without food, but not more

than about 3 days without water.

Liquid Love

For creatures with no gills or fins, we humans seem to have a surprisingly intense relationship with water. What is behind the love affair between us and H2O?


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So it makes sense that human beings

have evolved to value the presence

of water and particularly of clean, drink-

able, running water. Yet our fascination

with the stuff that covers about 70% of

our blue planet and makes up almost

two thirds of our bodies goes well

beyond mere utility. Throughout history,

our civilizations have developed and

thrived at the water’s edge. In addition,

we connect to water as individuals: we

bathe in it, drink it, play and relax in it,

use it to heal and soothe our bodies

and minds. In communities all over the

planet, human beings have integrated

water into their architecture, religious

rituals, leisure activities, health and

wellbeing.

wErE our ancEstors aquatic mammals?

One tentative explanation for this

intense relationship with water is the

Aquatic Ape Hypothesis, according to

which we all descend from a common

aquatic ancestor. This theory has not

gained mainstream support within the

scientific community, although it has

some eminent proponents, including

Sir David Attenborough (the English

naturalist and former BBC 2 senior

manager, broadcaster of natural history

programmes for more than 60 years).

Some of the arguments in its favour

are compelling - especially when you

compare the human body to that of

other land mammals, most of which are

covered in hair. We, in contrast, appear

to have more in common with dolphins

and seals than with sheep or bears: our

smooth bodies, upright stance and

subcutaneous fat make us better

adapted to an aquatic environment.

And if our hominid ancestors lived in

or by bodies of water, it can be argued

that the fish and seafood they ate - rich

in Omega 3 fatty acids - resulted in

their brains evolving to become the

largest among the genus Homo. If

that is correct, we would owe our very

intelligence to our ancient relationship

with water. While these theories remain

to be scientifically proven, the love

affair between humans and water is

still going strong - starting, arguably,

before we are even born.

swimminG undErwatEr is child’s play

Ultra-sound images reveal human

babies floating happily in amniotic

fluid until the moment of birth. New-

borns retain an uncanny ability to swim

underwater and an efficient reflex that

prevents them from breathing water

into their lungs. Not only can they

cope with an aquatic environment,

they appear to find it very agreeable.

Fontana di Trevi, Italy

For most children, the loss of the

neonatal ability to swim is followed by

years of delighted play in and around

water.

soothinG thE body and thE human spirit

We still use water in therapeutic

contexts, as humans have done since

ancient times. Throughout history,

people have found different ways of

harnessing the soothing properties

of water to enhance their health and

well-being. The ancient Romans elevated

their thermal bath rituals into an art, as

they took to the water – cold, warm or

in steam form - in magnificent sur-

roundings. Not all spa enthusiasts

of today know that they are merely

continuing in the same tradition, as

the word spa is nothing more than

an acronym for the Latin expression,

Salute per Aqua, or Health through

Water.


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watEr-powErEd dEitiEs

Polytheistic religions frequently feature

a river or sea deity with great power,

such as the Greek Poseidon or Roman

Neptune. In Chinese mythology, Gong

Gong was a powerful water god, whilst

He Bo was the god of the Yellow River,

or Huang He.

A common thread among these diverse

watery deities is their association with

both destructive and life-giving powers.

In many sea-faring cultures, a sea god

has to be appeased in order to protect

sailors and fishermen. The sea is

their livelihood, but also a dangerous

environment for humans, and this is

often reflected in its symbolic person-

ification.

Among the more appealing features

of aquatic deities are beauty, fertility

and purity. The Greek goddess

Aphrodite, for example, emerged from

the sea while the Zoroastrian divinity,

Tishtrya, brings life-giving rain and

hence fertility to both the land and its

human inhabitants.

In many sea-faring cultures, a sea god has to be appeased

in order to protect sailors and fishermen.


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African water deities are often female

(the Yoruba goddess Oshun, for

example, or her Igbo river counterpart

Idemili) and associated with beauty,

fertility and motherhood. The life-

fostering properties of water seem to

be embodied in these divine entities.

clEansinG & purifyinG

Human societies as far apart as the

river Jordan and the Ganges have

placed their hopes in the river’s capacity

to cleanse and purify, allowing the

believer to emerge renewed - reborn,

in a sense - as a result.

Water has a central place in the

practices and beliefs of many religions

for two main reasons. First, water

cleanses. Water washes away impurities

and pollutants, it can make an object

look as good as new and wipe away any

signs of previous defilement. Water

not only purifies objects for ritual use,

but it cleanses a person, externally or

spiritually, ready to come into the

presence of his/her focus of worship.

And second, water is a primary building

block of life. Without water there is no

life, yet water has the power to destroy

as well as to create.

The significance of water varies in

different religions and beliefs but

these two qualities of water lie behind

its place in most cultures and faiths.

a trEasurE worth protEctinG

Evidently our passion for water runs

deep – as it were – only adding to the

many reasons we already have to value

this essential resource. Whether or not

we descend from an ancient aquatic

ancestor, as a species we have benefited

from proximity to water. It remains a

vital necessity, as well as a source of

pleasure and well-being.

Without water there is no life!


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Arabia Tetra Pak Manufacturing Ltd Lot 88-103, Phase 3, Jcci, Warehouse City21413 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Tel +966-2 635 1515Argentina and Uruguay Tetra Pak SRL Uruguay 2887, Victoria B1644HJI, Pcia de Buenos AiresTel +54 11 4725 7600Australia Tetra Pak Marketing Pty Ltd2A Hill Road, Homebush Bay, N.S.W. 2127Tel +61-2 8719 7300Austria Tetra Pak GmbHAm Euro Platz 2, 1120 WienTel +43 1 897 2200 Balkans Tetra Pak Production d.o.o. Beograd Milutina Milankovica 11b, 11070 Belgrade, SerbiaTel +381-11 2017 333Baltic States Tetra Pak Baltic StatesK. Ulmana gatve 86 f. Riga, Latvia Tel +371-760 2000 Belgium Tetra Pak Belgium NV/SAA.Gossetlaan 28A Bus 1, 1702 Groot Bijgaarden Tel +32-2467 6811 Brazil and Paraguay Tetra Pak LtdaAv.das Nações Unidas,4777– 10° andar Ed.Villa-Lobos – Alto de Pinheiros05477-000 São Paulo, SPTel +55-11 5501 3200Canada Tetra Pak Canada Inc777 Bay Street, Suite 2902, Toronto MGG 2C8Tel +1 647 775 1854Central America and Caribbean Tetra Pak S.A.Ave. Samuel Lewis y Calle 55 Obarrio Edificio Plaza Globus, piso 7,Panama Tel +507 2085800Central Asia Tetra Pak Kazakhstan Ltd22 Zenkov Street, 050010 Almaty, KazakhstanTel +7 727 259 84 00Chile Tetra Pak de Chile Ltda Av El Bosque Sur 130, Piso 8 Las Condes, 676 0435 SantiagoTel +56 2 940 7000China (PR) Tetra Pak China Ltd 29th fl, CITIC Sq, 1168 Nanjing Xi Lu, Shanghai 200041Tel +8621-3217 4688Colombia and Ecuador Tetra Pak Ltda World Trade Center, Calle 100 No 8A-55, Torre C, Oficina 209, Bogota Tel +57-1 628 3630Czech Tetra Pak Ceská republic s.r.o. Nova cesta 17, 140 21 Praha 4 Tel +420-2 6100 7111 East Mediterranean Tetra Pak East Med.Mkalles 691 Centre, Beiruth, LebanonTel +961-1-693 777 Egypt Tetra Pak Egypt Ltd Block 72 City Center 3rd Floor, fromTeseen St. Beside Banking Center, New Cairo Tel +2 02 26160180 Finland Tetra Pak Oy Meijeritie 2, 00370 HelsinkiTel +358-207633611 France Tetra Pak France420, rue d’Estienne d’Orves,92705 Colombes Cedex Tel +33-1 56 47 5000Germany Tetra Pak Mid Europe Frankfurter Strasse 79-81, 65233 Hochheim Tel +49-6146 590 Tetra Pak Processing GmbHSenefelder - Ring 27, 21465 Reinbek Tel +49-40 600 910, Greece Tetra Pak Hellas SA Kifissias 56 & Delfon 15125 Marousi, Athens Tel +30-210 616 7500

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Tetra Pak Magazine No.103 2014, ISSN 0346-3044. The Tetra Pak Group’s International Company Magazine is produced in Sweden. The magazine is distributed to more than 150 countries and is available in Chinese, English, Finnish, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and selected issues in Japanese. Publisher: Christopher Huntley. Editor: Julie Trolley. Editorial board: Vincent Michelet, Carol Yang, Paul Wharton, Rolf Viberg, Julie Trolley. Produced by: Tetra Pak International, Ruben Rausings gata, 221 86 Lund, Sweden. Tel +39 059 898361, E-mail [email protected] . Graphic design: Wahlgren & Hansson, Malmö, Sweden, www.woh.se. Cover Image: Gettyimages/ Christopher Pillitz Paper Cover: Arctic paper/Amber Graphic, 240 g. Paper Body: Arctic paper/Amber Graphic, 120 g. Print: ExaktaPrinting Malmö, Sweden. ISO 14001 and FSC Certificates.

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Tetra Pak, ,PROTECTS WHAT’S GOOD, Tetra Brik, Tetra Classic, Tetra Evero, Tetra Fino,Tetra Gemina, Tetra Prisma, Tetra Recart, Tetra Rex, Tetra Top, and Tetra Wedge are some of the trademarks belonging to the Tetra Pak Group.

www.tetrapak.com

Theme: Water

No.

2014

Documents

2014 · Arabia Tetra Pak Manufacturing Ltd Lot 88-103, Phase 3, Jcci, Warehouse City 21413 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Tel +966-2 635 1515 Argentina and Uruguay Tetra Pak SRL