That’s why we need standard Net Water Positive commitments. Today.
The private sector accounts for over 70% of water use globally.(1) As more companies join the #NetWaterPositive2030 commitment, it is crucial that firms design comprehensive strategies, set metric-based targets, and identify/align impacts to measure and optimize the ESG benefits of their actions.
Following PepsiCo, Facebook announced their impressive ‘Net Water Positive’ commitment amidst the first Western reservoir water shortage in the US and #WorldWaterWeek2021. However, the parameters and material drivers of these commitments are unclear. Without defining these, key impact drivers can be overlooked, including the importance of reducing the water intensity of supply chains and unique water pollution pathways (e.g. chemical discharge and heat pollution from data center cooling). Key questions for Pepsi and FB include:
1. What are the key material concerns regarding your water use?
2. How will progress be measured and reported? What are the benchmarks of comparison?
3. Does the commitment apply to the entire supply chain? Are third parties/contractors involved in the commitment? If not, where does the commitment ‘start and stop’?
4. What principles/frameworks can align your actions for maximum impact (E.G SDG 6 – Water and Sanitation)?
5. How do you define ‘water-stressed areas’? Are there exceptions if weather is unpredictable in the 10 year period for a geography you operate in?
6. Unlike GHG emissions, there is not a ‘water offset’ option should commitments be missed. What is the plan for that scenario?
7. Who are key collaborators (e.g. unis, NGOs) to help you innovate in this area?
8. Where do your ESG commitments overlap (e.g. the water-energy nexus)? Are there opportunities to tackle multiple goals at once (energy re-use of heat generated by data centers)?
9. How can you work with other local users in your watershed to tackle problems unique to your water supply?
10. How can you positively pressure competitors to commitment to be Net Water Positive?
Water is relevant to nearly every aspect of a company’s supply chains, operations, goods, and services. This complexity can be daunting, but presents private companies a unique opportunity to act.
(1) World Bank https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/chart-globally-70-freshwater-used-agriculture
#netwaterpositive2030 #watercommitment #waterpositive #waterpositive2030