Drinkwell Bangladesh receives US Award for Corporate Excellence 2022

Drinkwell Bangladesh, a US company providing safe and affordable water directly to residents of densely packed neighbourhoods in Dhaka, has received the Secretary of State's Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE) 2022 in the climate resilience category.

"Drinkwell is building resilience to climate change in Bangladesh, where only about a third of the population has access to safe drinking water. That's critical for avoiding serious waterborne illnesses like cholera and typhoid fever," Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jose W Fernandez said at the award ceremony in Washington DC early Saturday.

"As climate change warms our planet, droughts and rising sea levels are making clean water even scarcer, drying up some sources and contaminating other sources with seawater. So one of Drinkwell's founders developed a water purification system that's cheaper and that's more efficient. And it's easier to operate than other models."

"The company has also created a new delivery method, ATM - ATM-style machines - that sell and dispense clean water in Bangladesh and are more accessible for people whose homes aren't connected to water pipes," the under secretary of state said.

"For about eight years, since 2015, Drinkwell has created hundreds of jobs for people in Bangladesh and brought almost 200 million gallons of clean water to low-income communities in Dhaka, enough drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people a year."

"Drinkwell is also a testament to the power of international exchanges. And one of the company's founders is a Bangladeshi American whose grandfather died of a waterborne illness," Fernandez said.

"He - so he got a Fulbright - he got a Fulbright to study the problem and potential solutions to Bangladesh, and there he met a chemical engineering professor from an American university, and together the two of them went on to found Drinkwell."

Earlier, the US Department of State's Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs announced four winners for this year's edition of the ACE award in the responsible business operations, climate resilience, and inclusive economic growth categories. The other winners of the award are Anova Indonesia, Gap India, and Intel Costa Rica.

Established in 1999, the ACE recognises the crucial role US companies are playing in elevating higher standards of business conduct. Together, these companies are leading the way in addressing some of the greatest global challenges.