World Bank Case Study – Cutting Costs and Save Plastic Bottles

By Vivreau Advanced Water Systems

WORLD BANK CASE STUDY

How to successfully implement a sustainable hydration program at your workplace

The World Bank Group is a global financial institution committed to supporting low- and middle-income countries. Their extensive global network spans more than 189 member countries. With their mission of reducing poverty and promoting prosperity through the implementation of sustainable solutions, the World Bank embarked on a transformative journey with Vivreau to address the use of single-use plastic bottles at their headquarters in Washington, DC. The World Bank Group wanted a more environmentally friendly solution for hydration.

Challenge

The World Bank recognized the need to align its operations with its sustainability goals, which included reducing plastic waste and promoting eco-friendly practices within its catering operations. Prior to the Vivreau hydration program, they relied on plastic jugs or single-use plastic bottles, tailored to the number of attendees at an event. Midgie Cajayon, Food Services Officer at the World Bank, realized that this approach not only contributed to environmental pollution but also caused logistical overhead costs and time in managing the disposal of plastic waste.

“The Vivreau Hydration Program came at the
right time when we really needed to change.
You had an existing program that fits with what
we need – it’s just like a perfect marriage.”

Midgie Cajayon, Food Service Office at World Bank

Solution

In April 2021, Midgie Cajayon began to weigh several options and selected Vivreau as the preferred and trusted water expert partner for the World Bank. Besides offering premium water dispensers with excellent water quality, Vivreau attentively listened to their challenges and needs and presented a customized water hydration program.

We had several options, but often, it’s the people behind with their dedication to their mission that plays a major part in the decision-making. The consultancy provided by Vivreau Water Experts was far apart from the others that we had talked to.

World Bank Water Program

The water hydration program designed for the World Bank included five Vivreau high volume water dispensers located throughout the cafeteria’s building, two Vi-Taps and custom glass bottles with the World Bank logo on the front.

The main program benefits for the World Bank:

Sustainability – successful alignment of operations with sustainability goals by reducing both single-use plastics and carbon emissions.
Cost savings – switching to refillable glass bottles reduced costs and improved the profitability of their water program during catered events.
Health & wellness – unlimited still, sparkling, and hot water for staff supported culture and wellness goals.
Brand Building – custom branded glass bottles elevated the brand presentation in front of media, guests, and other stakeholders.

For the implementation of the Vivreau hydration program, a buy-in from various stakeholders throughout the organization, including leadership, was needed. To achieve this, the food service department partnered with the sustainability department to initiate an educational campaign. This campaign focused on raising awareness within the organization about the environmental impact of single-use plastic bottles and highlighted the advantages of transitioning to the Vivreau hydration program.

At the bank, data is at the core of all operations. So, we made use of data too.

Backed by a data-driven cost-benefit analysis and a joint communication strategy with compelling messaging, the installation of Vivreau water solutions took place in June 2021.

Results:

World Bank has significantly reduced its plastic waste footprint, contributing to its sustainability objectives, and saved approximately 200,000 bottles from ending up in landfills each year. Moreover, the evaluation assessment indicated an increased return on investment of 43% over the course of 4 years resulting from the shift from bottled water to the Vivreau hydration program. Lastly, the World Bank has received only positive feedback from both, employees and guests, appreciating the taste and quality of the water, as well as the organization’s commitment to reduce plastic.