Wed, 09/03/2014 - 00:00

Atlas Copco’s employee-run Water for All organization is celebrating 30 years of providing people in need with long-term access to safe, clean water and sanitation. Since the founding of Water for All in 1984, Atlas Copco and its employees have helped more than 1.5 million people gain access to clean drinking water. Water for All is Atlas Copco’s main community engagement project, initiated and driven on a local level by Atlas Copco employees. In just the past four years, the Atlas Copco USA Water for All initiative has helped more than 10,000 people gain access to clean water and sanitation and has donated more than $500,000 to 15 projects around the world. “What started as a one-time project to raise money to combat drought-stricken communities in Peru has grown into a worldwide initiative that allows our employees to act on their commitment to global sustainability,” said Jim Levitt, president of Atlas Copco North America. “We are proud to support organizations that raise awareness and take action around the issues of unsafe drinking water and global water scarcity.” In honor of the anniversary, Atlas Copco USA held a membership drive that resulted in a 10 percent increase in employee participation. Participants also voted for the next project the Water for All program will fund. Employees chose to fund a $50,000 project in the Tigray region of Ethiopia that will bring clean water to 2,500 people through the building of five community-drilled wells. Atlas Copco’s Water for All program is supported by nearly 5,000 participating employees in 35 countries around the world. One hundred percent of employee donations go directly to water projects, and employee donations are double-matched by Atlas Copco. The 30th anniversary was Aug. 22. As part of the celebration, Kurt Busch’s No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS featured the Water for All logo during his fifth-place finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Aug. 23. Learn more about Atlas Copco’s Water for All program by visiting the website water4all.org. Atlas Copco provides sustainable productivity solutions. The Group serves customers with innovative compressors, vacuum solutions and air-treatment systems, construction and mining equipment, power tools and assembly systems.