BIODIVERSITY IN ACTION

2024-2029 MANIFESTO
FOR THE EUROPEAN NATURAL MINERAL WATER SECTOR

CHAMPIONING EFFORTS TO HELP NATURE AND PEOPLE THRIVE

Natural mineral water is a product shaped entirely by nature. Its purity and unique mineral composition rely on healthy ecosystems and balanced water cycles. Thriving native habitats support soil health, which plays a vital role in the natural filtration process that gives our waters their distinctive quality. NMWE members are committed to safeguarding and promoting biodiversity in the areas in which they operate, ensuring that nature and our sources are protected for generations to come.

As part of our commitments under the EU Code of Conduct for Responsible Business, NMWE has forged strategic partnerships to help producers to develop conservation strategies, monitor their impact on biodiversity, and implement meaningful measures for its protection.

We advocate for EU policies that drive multi-stakeholder collaboration and equip businesses—especially SMEs—with the practical tools they need to step up their actions.

Water is a key resource for nature, human subsistence, and a thriving economy alike. However, climate change and pollution are exerting pressure on the quantity and quality of available water. Most regions of Europe are at risk of being affected by water shortages or flooding in the years to come.

Therefore, sustainable groundwater management is crucial to guarantee the balance of natural water sources and protect them for future generations. This is a top priority for natural mineral water and spring water producers, who have a long history, in partnership with local stakeholders, of safeguarding catchment areas through which water flows to reach natural sources.

In the face of human activity and climate change, our sector iscontinuously gathering knowledge and expanding our understanding of the watersheds we depend on, abstracting water while respecting the local hydrogeological context.

Our recommendations for safeguarding water cycles

New water-related policies should:

Pursue a multi-stakeholder, collaborative approach to groundwater protection and policy instruments aimed at increasing water resilience
Take into account the essential function of high quality water as a source of hydration in the context of water management

Preserving nature is essential for all of us to thrive, and biodiversity is a critical underpinning of this task. It must therefore be protected, and its decline reversed. Biodiversity and healthy water cycles are mutually reinforcing, so preserving the two go hand-in-hand.
Our members carry out pioneering work to protect and promote biodiversity where they operate. Healthy native habitats are essential to long-term soil health which supports ground filtration, and proactive measures to safeguard soil health and floral and faunal biodiversity are commonplace across our sector.

As part of our commitments under the EU Code of Conduct, we have been working together with third-party experts, including a leading international conservation organisation, to develop effective conservation strategies and monitoring frameworks. This will enable our sector to monitor our impact on biodiversity through specific indicators and ensure we take meaningful measures to preserve it, and our sources, for generations to come.

Our recommendations for promoting biodiversity

EU-level initiatives on biodiversity must:

Catalyse multi-stakeholder collaboration
Provide the practical tools businesses require to step up their actions, with particular emphasis on SMEs

Using resources in a more efficient manner is among the prerequisites to solve the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. A thriving, resource-efficient market is not only better for the environment, it also keeps valuable resources in the European economy.

We have made great strides in improving the efficiency of our sector in all aspects of our operations, from lowering our water use ratio, to significantly reducing the use of virgin PET in packaging, to reporting on and reducing our sector’s carbon emissions. Through continuous improvement initiatives, we are continuing to enhance our efficiency wherever we can.
For meaningful change to take effect, SMEs must be on board for the journey, as they represent the vast majority of our membership and of the food sector as a whole.

Our recommendations for better resource efficiency

Upcoming EU initiatives in this field should:

Promote circular over linear solutions, where environmentally beneficial
Encourage investments and support Member States in building the required infrastructure to boost separate collection and high-quality recycling
Base policy proposals on sound scientific evidence which support their intended impact
Provide the necessary tools to SMEs to facilitate their transition to more resource-efficient models

Industry and consumers both have a role to play towards meeting the objectives of the Green Deal. Through their everyday choices and purchases, consumers can help Europe meet its decarbonization ambitions and support industry’s efforts to propose more sustainable products and services. They can also encourage the offer of healthier foods and beverages and help reduce food waste.

Our sector places great importance on clear and transparent communication to the consumer. Under EU legislation, all natural mineral water and spring water labels come with detailed information on the mineral composition, the location of the source and, where applicable, specific health benefits. Ours was one of the pioneering sectors in developing the EU Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR), to help guide our producers’ communication on the footprint of their products in a harmonised and credible way.

Our recommendations for consumer information

The EU should aim to:

Foster an information environment which empowers consumers to make more sustainable choices
Provide an enabling and rewarding framework for businesses to communicate about the steps they are taking to make their products more environmentally friendly

FOSTERING BIODIVERSITY INITIATIVES ON THE GROUND

Natural mineral water and spring water producers depend on pure, abundant freshwater, making biodiversity conservation vital to their future. Healthy ecosystems sustain freshwater flows, regulate water quality, and safeguard the long-term viability of operations.

Yet ecosystems are under growing pressure from pollution, climate change, and habitat degradation, putting both nature and the sector at risk.

For decades, companies in our sector have invested in the protection of the environment around the sources under their management, in collaboration with local stakeholders (public authorities, NGO’s, farmers, etc.).
In a global context of increasing pressure on the environment and declining biodiversity, NMWE members want to step up their efforts further and increase their positive impact on biodiversity.

With that aim in mind, NMWE collaborated with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to develop a biodiversity strategy and indicator framework in line with its commitment under the EU Code of Conduct. Based on research, member surveys, and expert workshops, this guidance supports NMWE members—including national associations, multinational corporations, and small-scale mineral and spring water producers—in shaping biodiversity strategies tailored to their specific contexts. Highlighting catchment-level impacts and dependencies, the framework helps companies assess their biodiversity interactions, meet legal and voluntary requirements, and contribute to regional and global goals.

Biodiversity strategies go beyond compliance, helping secure supply chain resilience, identifying risks like water shortages, and strengthening environmental stewardship. The strategy and indicator framework provides a results-driven approach for basin health assessments, goal setting, monitoring, and transparent disclosure. By integrating biodiversity goals into broader sustainability efforts, the sector can enhance water security, climate resilience, and ecosystem health, positioning itself as a leader in biodiversity conservation.

Download the IUCN Biodiversity Recommendations

Sources for Nature: turning guidance into action

Building on the IUCN Biodiversity Recommendations, Sources for Nature is NMWE's flagship biodiversity initiative, helping natural mineral and spring water producers turn guidance into concrete action on the ground.

Through pilot projects across Europe, NMWE members are implementing biodiversity action plans tailored to their local ecosystems, focusing on habitat restoration, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem monitoring and collaboration with local stakeholders.

By putting the IUCN recommendations into practice, Sources for Nature demonstrates how the sector is protecting and restoring the ecosystems that sustain natural mineral and spring water sources while contributing to Europe's broader biodiversity goals.

Discover the Sources for Nature initiative and explore biodiversity actions taking place across Europe.

Discover Sources for Nature

Biodiversity projects in our sector

Natural mineral and spring water producers are spearheading biodiversity projects across Europe. These initiatives focus on protecting ecosystems, preserving freshwater sources, and helping local species flourish. Each project reflects a shared commitment to safeguarding the natural environments that sustain our water. Explore the map to see how members are working to protect nature, at the source and beyond.

Details	Nestlé Waters Switzerland launched the ECO-Broye programme around the sources of Henniez in 2009, working closely with local partners such as farmers, foresters, businesses and authorities in order to preserve the natural quality of the groundwater. In a region with intensive farming, sustainable agriculture using zero pesticides and chemical fertilisers has been implemented on 120 hectares in the immediate catchment area. Over a 2,400 hectares in the wider surroundings, Nestlé Waters promotes biodiversity with ecological networks and fauna corridors. In 2016, a biogas plant (run by a partner company) was installed that converts 30,000 tonnes of manure from 25 surrounding farms, together with coffee grounds collected from Nespresso capsule recycling, into renewable energy. This supplies 1,500 households with electricity, and part of the generated heat is used by the adjacent Henniez bottling plant. In return, the farmers receive a highly efficient fertilizer and over 3,000 tonnes of CO2 eq. are avoided. In 2021, the AgrEauConseil programme was launched, to work with local farmers to reduce their use of pesticides, providing advice and support around methods of regenerative agriculture (cover crops, no ploughing, mechanical vs. chemical treatment, etc.).
Brand	Henniez
Company	Nestlé Waters
Area covered (km2)	25.2
Date initiated	2009
Date of completion	Ongoing
Web link	‚Henniez

Country	Belgium
Brand	Valvert
Working with farmers and the local community towards better agricultural practices to protect groundwater and nature
Withing the municipality of Etalle, Nestlé Waters has been working together with 10 local farmers to preserve the groundwater resources that supply the Nestlé factory and the local population. The farmers, operating in the groundwater catchment area operated by the Etalle plant, have committed to cultivate without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides, for an environmentally friendly agriculture. Nestlé Waters is sharing decades of experience in sustainable agriculture, providing local farmers with technical reflection and material assistance to produce an environmentally friendly agriculture while ensuring that they have a viable economic activity. This program is based on the French experience of Agrivair, founded by Nestlé in 1990, which already operates in France for the brands Vittel, Contrex and Hépar.
Area covered (ha.)	40
Date initiated	2018
Completion	Ongoing
Web link	https://www.valvert.be/nl-be/VALVERT-zet-zich

Country	Belgium
Brand	Spa
Monitoring biodiversity and environmental using bee colonies
For over 125 years, Spa Monopole has been running an extensive programme to protect the environment and the water resources of Spa iver a conservation area covering more than 13,000 hectares. It was essential to verify the positive impact of these measures to protect biodiversity and the environment, more specifically by checking the absence of pollutants such as pesticides. However, putting a monitoring system in place for an area of that size and taking samples manually proved to be a huge challenge. This is why the BeeOdiversity project put 8 colonies on the site, i.e. 400,000 bees that preserve biodiversity purely through pollination and which, over an area of +/- 3000 hectares, collect numerous samples via the pollen and nectar they bring back to the hive. As a result, BeeOdiversity is now able to perform scientific analyses on the basis of these samples and study the biodiversity state of play using bee-related indicators. In turn, these analyses allow Spa Monopole to monitor the quality of the biodiversity and the absence of any contaminants to ensure that the quality of their mineral waters can be guaranteed. On the basis of the results obtained, BeeOdiversity furthermore advises Spa Monopole on any measures that need to be taken (e.g. the reintroduction of plants) to enhance the environment and more specifically the ecosystems associated with pollinators.
Area covered (ha.)	3000
Date initiated	2014
Completion	Ongoing
Web link	https://beeodiversity.com/en/project/spadel-2/

Country	Belgium
Brand	Spa
Reintroducing black grouse
Spa Monopole partnered with the region of Wallonia, the University of Liège, the Natural Science Museum in Tervuren, WWF Belgium and Pairi Daiza zoo and botanical garden in order to reintroduce black grouse to the catchment area of Spa. When the project was launched in 2017, they were on the brink of extinction. Natural enemies such as foxes and degradation of the environment had reduced the once healthy population to just three individual birds. The black grouse is emblematic to the region and an umbrella species in terms of biodiversity. You will only find them in areas where life is in perfect balance. Restoring biodiversity was the first step, reintroducing the birds the second. The population of black grouse in the area is now thriving.
Area covered (ha.)	—
Date initiated	2017
Completion	Ongoing
Web link	https://wwf.be/fr/projets/sauver-le-tetras-lyre-en-belgique

Country	Belgium
Brand	Spa
LIFE programme for the preservation and restoration of wetlands
The LIFE+ project ‘Restoration of natural habitats in the Liège Ardennes’ ran from 2012 until 2020, and aimed to restore the natural and semi-natural landscapes between the Hautes Fagnes and Tailles plateaus to a state close to what they were 200 years ago. A budget of almost 7 million euros was made available jointly by Wallonia, the European Commission and Spa Monopole, to implement the project’s actions. It was the final project of a vast umbrella project to restore peat bogs in Wallonia covering the various Ardennes highlands. Parent company Spadel has always invested in partnerships and, when the Walloon region announced their intention to restore the marshes of the Ardennes, Spadel immediately jumped on board. Following a succesful similar project in Spa, they were keen to extend this work westward to Stoumont. The LIFE programme has allowed Spadel to help restore some 7,600 ha across eighteen different sites between 2012 and 2019.
Area covered (ha.)	—
Date initiated	2012
Completion	2020
Web link	http://biodiversite.wallonie.be/fr/life-ardenne-liegeoise-2012-2020.html?IDC=3590

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BIODIVERSITY IN ACTION

2024-2029 MANIFESTO
FOR THE EUROPEAN NATURAL MINERAL WATER SECTOR

CHAMPIONING EFFORTS TO HELP NATURE AND PEOPLE THRIVE

Our recommendations for safeguarding water cycles

Our recommendations for promoting biodiversity

Our recommendations for better resource efficiency

Our recommendations for consumer information

FOSTERING BIODIVERSITY INITIATIVES ON THE GROUND

Sources for Nature: turning guidance into action

Biodiversity projects in our sector

Discovery of nature and involvement of stakeholders

Actions in the Parc des Sources catchment area

Evaluation of the biodiversity footprint

Country	Czechia
Brand	Magnesia
Increasing species diversity in insects, butterflies and other plants and animals: Mnichov
In 2022, Mattoni 1873 launched projects in several places across the Czech Republic which aim to support an increase in species diversity of plants and animals, especially insects and butterflies. In Mnichov, Byňov and Poděbrady, natural flower meadows which were abandoned and overgrown by woody vegetation will be restored. In some of them, pools are being built to support the diversity of amphibians, birdhouses for birds of prey and songbirds, and wintering grounds for snakes. Areas will be returned to an earlier successional stage of meadow by being cleared from overgrown woody plants and shrubs, invasive plants species will be repeatedly removed until completely eradicated, spatial mosaic mowing system will be implemented in order to provide shelter and food for insects all year round and, where needed, regional seed mix of flowering plants will be planted. In some localities nectariferous shrubs or trees will be planted in alleys. After reaching the desired state, maintanance works will be carried out regularly. All field work, professional evaluation and plans of measures are done by experts from the Czech Union for Nature Conservation.
Area covered (ha.)	742
Date initiated	October 2021
Completion	Ongoing
Web link	https://www.mattoni1873.cz/en/media/mattoni-1873-to-support-the-diversity-of-czech-nature-establilshing-rudi-mattoni-butterfly-meadows-together-with-conservationists

Country	Czechia
Brand	Dobrá Voda
Increasing species diversity in insects, butterflies and other plants and animals: Byňov
In 2022, Mattoni 1873 launched projects in several places across the Czech Republic which aim to support an increase in species diversity of plants and animals, especially insects and butterflies. In Mnichov, Byňov and Poděbrady, natural flower meadows which were abandoned and overgrown by woody vegetation will be restored. In some of them, pools are being built to support the diversity of amphibians, birdhouses for birds of prey and songbirds, and wintering grounds for snakes. Areas will be returned to an earlier successional stage of meadow by being cleared from overgrown woody plants and shrubs, invasive plants species will be repeatedly removed until completely eradicated, spatial mosaic mowing system will be implemented in order to provide shelter and food for insects all year round and, where needed, regional seed mix of flowering plants will be planted. In some localities nectariferous shrubs or trees will be planted in alleys. After reaching the desired state, maintanance works will be carried out regularly. All field work, professional evaluation and plans of measures are done by experts from the Czech Union for Nature Conservation.
Area covered (ha.)	446
Date initiated	October 2021
Completion	Ongoing
Web link	https://www.mattoni1873.cz/en/media/mattoni-1873-to-support-the-diversity-of-czech-nature-establilshing-rudi-mattoni-butterfly-meadows-together-with-conservationists

Country	Czechia
Brand	Poděbradka
Increasing species diversity in insects, butterflies and other plants and animals: Poděbrady
In 2022, Mattoni 1873 launched projects in several places across the Czech Republic which aim to support an increase in species diversity of plants and animals, especially insects and butterflies. In Mnichov, Byňov and Poděbrady, natural flower meadows which were abandoned and overgrown by woody vegetation will be restored. In some of them, pools are being built to support the diversity of amphibians, birdhouses for birds of prey and songbirds, and wintering grounds for snakes. Areas will be returned to an earlier successional stage of meadow by being cleared from overgrown woody plants and shrubs, invasive plants species will be repeatedly removed until completely eradicated, spatial mosaic mowing system will be implemented in order to provide shelter and food for insects all year round and, where needed, regional seed mix of flowering plants will be planted. In some localities nectariferous shrubs or trees will be planted in alleys. After reaching the desired state, maintanance works will be carried out regularly. All field work, professional evaluation and plans of measures are done by experts from the Czech Union for Nature Conservation.
Area covered (ha.)	124
Date initiated	October 2021
Completion	Ongoing
Web link	https://www.mattoni1873.cz/en/media/mattoni-1873-to-support-the-diversity-of-czech-nature-establilshing-rudi-mattoni-butterfly-meadows-together-with-conservationists

Country	France
Brand	Eau de Plancoët
In-depth study of local biodiversity in the territory of Plancoët
In 2011, a Regional Territorial Nature Contract was signed by the Town Hall of Plancoët and co-financed by Eaux de Plancoët. This Nature Contract enabled the conduct of an unprecedented study from 2011 to 2014 on the territory of Plancoët impluvium, the Tertre de Brandefert, aimed at understanding the quality of local biodiversity and its relationship with geo-diversity. Floristic and faunal inventories were complemented with geological studies with the aim of characterizing local habitats and their evolution, the relationship between habitats and the soil, and the hydrogeology of the site. Dominique Méléc, Sustainable Development Manager at Cœur Emeraude (Rance Valley – Emerald Coast Nature Reserve), said: “This study allowed us to go from 0 to 95% knowledge of local biodiversity. An extraordinary island of ordinary biodiversity: this is what characterizes the Tertre de Brandefert. It is a vestige or ‘fossil’ Earth of what the Breton landscape was before agrochemicals intervened: an ecosystem which was very common 70 years ago, but which has become precious today.”
Area covered (ha.)	100
Date initiated	2011
Completion	2014
Web link	https://www.univ-rennes.fr/actualites/le-site-de-captage-de-leau-de-plancoet-biodiversite-la-source

BIODIVERSITY IN ACTION

2024-2029 MANIFESTOFOR THE EUROPEAN NATURAL MINERAL WATER SECTOR

CHAMPIONING EFFORTS TO HELP NATURE AND PEOPLE THRIVE

Our recommendations for safeguarding water cycles

Our recommendations for promoting biodiversity

Our recommendations for better resource efficiency

Our recommendations for consumer information

FOSTERING BIODIVERSITY INITIATIVES ON THE GROUND

Sources for Nature: turning guidance into action

Biodiversity projects in our sector

ECO-Broye and AgrEauConseil programmes, and biogas plant

Discovery of nature and involvement of stakeholders

Actions in the Parc des Sources catchment area

Evaluation of the biodiversity footprint

2024-2029 MANIFESTO
FOR THE EUROPEAN NATURAL MINERAL WATER SECTOR