The Role of Restaurants in Preserving Water Quality

August is National Water Quality Month in the United States, and Yum! Brands is taking time to reflect on the role of restaurants in preserving and promoting water quality.

As stories regarding water supplies in Flint, Michigan and California’s Central Valley appear more frequently, non-profit organizations and government agencies work to address disparities in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) that affect populations’ public health and food security. Businesses contribute to these efforts, too.

Businesses in the United States and around the world support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring access to water and sanitation for all through their operations. Yum! Brands’ restaurants contribute to the UN’s water access and sanitation objective by providing fully-functioning WASH services, which include clean water for drinking, cooking and cleaning purposes; sanitary facilities, solid waste management and drainage; and hygiene information at stores around the world. As the UN states, this goal not only provides social benefits, like community health, but also provides business benefits by decreasing employee absenteeism and increasing worker productivity.

Restaurants therefore play a role as water quality stewards in U.S. cities where they serve safe foods and beverages. Yum! Brands wishes everyone a happy #waterquality month as we continue to work to provide safe water, sanitation, and hygiene to communities as part of our water initiatives in the U.S. and around the world.