NAPERVILLE, Ill., March 18, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nalco (NYSE:NLC), providing essential expertise for water, energy and air, and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), one of the world's foremost conservation groups, have formed a partnership to develop best practices to protect and conserve water. Nalco will apply its global experience in safe and efficient industrial water use to help define the needs of priority areas facing water scarcity, poor water quality, and degradation of freshwater habitats.
Nalco will provide financial support to the Global Water Roundtable, which is being organized by WWF and the Alliance for Water Stewardship, to develop credible water stewardship standards for fair and sustainable management of freshwater. In addition, Nalco staff around the globe will provide technical support and analytical services to WWF staff working in the field to conserve freshwater ecosystems.
"Almost one billion people already live in areas of the world where water is scarce," says Erik Fyrwald, Nalco Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "The combination of increasing population and development is expected to strain our finite water resources even further. This partnership will help determine sustainable industrial water use practices that can reduce poverty and conserve water, supporting our recent endorsement of the CEO Water Mandate."
"Water resources around the world are in a crisis and poor water management is a major factor. The Global Water Roundtable will offer a pragmatic way to reach consensus on the key impacts of water use, and identify options water managers can use to reduce their water footprint," said Jason Clay, Senior Vice President for Market Transformation at WWF.
About Nalco
Nalco is the world's leading water treatment and process improvement company, delivering significant environmental, social and economic performance benefits to our customers. We help our customers reduce energy, water and other natural resource consumption, enhance air quality, minimize environmental releases and improve productivity and end products while boosting the bottom line. Together our comprehensive solutions contribute to the sustainable development of customer operations. Nalco is a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. More than 11,500 Nalco employees operate in 130 countries supported by a comprehensive network of manufacturing facilities, sales offices and research centers to serve a broad range of end markets. In 2009, Nalco achieved sales of more than $3.7 billion. For more information visit www.nalco.com.
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About World Wildlife Fund
WWF is the world's leading conservation organization, working in 100 countries for nearly half a century. With the support of almost 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment and combat climate change. Visit www.worldwildlife.org to learn more.
Editors Note: International World Water Day is held annually on March 22 as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. For more information visit www.unwater.org/worldwaterday.