PepsiCo Inc., Purchase, N.Y., has improved water use efficiency by more than 15 percent over 2006 levels, achieved “positive water balance” in India and plans to provide access to clean water to a million people by 2011, according to its inaugural water report.

The “Water Stewardship: Good for Business. Good for Society” report details the company’s efforts to conserve and replenish water use in its operations and expand access to clean water globally, the company said. PepsiCo released the report while participating in the Stockholm International Water Institute’s World Water Week, an annual meeting to convene public and private sector leaders to focus on urgent global water problems.

"Currently, around 1 billion people are without access to clean drinking water, making the world water crisis one of the most pressing challenges of our time," said Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo’s chairwoman and chief executive officer, in a statement. "As a global food and beverage company, we have an inherent responsibility to be good stewards of this increasingly limited resource, and we are proud of the progress made so far on our journey to minimize our water footprint while expanding access to clean water around the globe."

The inaugural water report provides a progress update on a set of goals PepsiCo announced in April that are focused on respecting the human right to water.

The company plans to achieve its goals through efficiency in its operations, preserving water resources and enabling access to safe water, PepsiCo said. Among PepsiCo’s goals are improving water use efficiency by 20 percent per unit of production by 2015, giving back more water than it uses in its operations in water-distressed areas, and providing access to safe water to 3 million people in developing countries by the end of 2015.