Water conservation – is the drinks industry doing enough?

There is a battle raging in Europe over the supply of water. A struggle in which the drinks sector is playing its part, being on one hand part of the problem and on the other part of the solution. Since the late 1980s the amount of water abstracted for the public supply has dipped by about 10%. But the agricultural sector has swallowed up this saving by increasing its demand over the same period by almost 20% (about 80% of water used for irrigation is consumed, and therefore, is not available for other uses).