EUROPE – Muriel Lienau, CEO of Nestlé Waters in Europe, Middle East and North Africa (EMENA), has been elected by the European Federation of Bottled Waters (EFBW) as the new president for the next two years, reports FoodBev.

Lienau promises that the EFBW will continue to promote mineral and spring waters as the most natural and healthy source of hydration’ and will aim to further strengthen the sector’s sustainability credentials under her leadership.

“Our category wants to be a leading force to achieve a circular economy and sustainable food systems; we want to be the inspiration for others. Supporting Europe’s ambition to be carbon neutral and a leader in biodiversity, the natural mineral and spring waters sector has the responsibility and determination to be a leading force,”” Lienau said in a statement.

“Natural mineral water producers have a long history of source protection to guarantee the purity of their waters, naturally contributing to a healthy environment and biodiversity. They are pioneers in setting up and financing packaging collection schemes and using fully recyclable packaging materials.

“With a strong collective action, driven by the EFBW team and the help of our national associations, company members and partners, I am very confident that we can achieve our goals.”

Patricia Fosselard – secretary-general, EFBW

She added that as a sector they were strong advocate for a circular economy. “Now we will step up our efforts on collection, including advocating for well-designed Deposit Refund Systems, so we can use more food-grade recycled materials in our packaging”.

Lienau succeeds Jean-Pierre Deffis, who led EFBW from 2014 and helped to introduce a programme focused on sustainability and the establishment of a circular economy, as well as retaining the quality of natural mineral waters.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank our outgoing president, Jean-Pierre Deffis, for his unwavering commitment to push the sector’s sustainability agenda,” EFBW secretary-general Patricia Fosselard said.

“I am delighted to welcome Muriel as our new president and look forward to working with her. With a strong collective action, driven by the EFBW team and the help of our national associations, company members and partners, I am very confident that we can achieve our goals.”

Lienau leads both the Nestlé Waters Business in EMENA and the global strategic business unit of Nestlé Waters. She has spent over 29 years at Nestlé, promoting the quality of natural mineral and spring waters and ensuring that catchment areas across Europe are protected.

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