In March of 2020, Xylem began re-purposing some internal manufacturing capacity to develop protective face shields for essential workers. The program has continued through the year, as Xylem worked with distribution partners to deliver 150,000 shields across the United States, Europe, and Latin America.
“Water is always essential to community health and resilience. Its importance has only grown during the pandemic,” says Joe Vesey, Xylem’s chief marketing officer and chair of Xylem Watermark, the company’s corporate social responsibility program. “This PPE initiative is one part of our efforts to support the health and safety of essential water operators as they serve their communities. A safe working environment is a fundamental part of providing safe water and sanitation to our communities. By combining our efforts with innovative partners like RCAP and 120Water, and with hard-working local utilities, we are one step closer to solving water in those communities.”
Xylem Watermark’s sourcing and distribution of face masks is part of Xylem’s broader package of COVID-19 assistance. These many partnerships are an extension of Xylem Watermark’s work to increase the water resilience of communities around the world.