$1m partnership to protect Australian waterways

Suntory Oceania has announced a $1m partnership with Griffith University’s Australian Rivers Institute (ARI) to fund critical research and help inform how we protect water for future generations.

The company will partner with Griffith University’s ARI researchers, who will examine how climate change has impacted Australia’s waterways and whether environmental ‘safe zones’ (Safe and Just Earth System Boundaries) hold true for protecting river and wetland health.

Researchers will analyse global data to understand how altered rainfall patterns, floods and prolonged droughts are affecting water flows. They will also examine the connections between land and water systems, and how these interactions impact water health.

When the program concludes, ARI researchers will apply their findings to model quality and quantity of water flows and establish refined safe zones across Australia’s waterways. This will pinpoint areas where catchment and river flow restoration can improve water quality and ecosystem health. The research will also inform policymakers in strengthening the long-term resilience of rivers and lakes, and the communities that depend on them.

The research team will also draw on evidence from Suntory’s new water replenishment project to be established in Queensland’s Lockyer Valley.

Professor David Hamilton, Australian Rivers Institute and Liliana Pagliero, Australian Rivers Institute Senior Research Fellow. Image: Supplied

The project supports the company’s commitment to replenishing the water used at its Swanbank multi-beverage facility and aligns with Suntory’s global approach to water stewardship, including its Natural Water Sanctuary forests in Japan and watershed conservation initiatives across the United States, Mexico, Scotland, France, Spain and India.

Suntory Oceania has already set local targets to reduce its water footprint — including a 35% reduction in water use per unit of production by 2030, cutting total water use across its plants by 50% by 2050. These initiatives sit alongside Suntory’s global ‘Mizuiku’ water education program, which has operated for more than 20 years across nine countries.

Image caption: Water replenishment project at Lockyer Valley, Qld. Image: Supplied