There are few things that connect the human race as acutely as water. We all need it – to drink, to wash, to heal, to do just about anything. But we also all impact it. Water is the ultimate shared resource – what we dump into a river leads to the ocean and connected freshwater sources all around the world, affecting everyone. Water both builds and binds us, so it’s together that we must care for this precious resource.
While there’s a responsibility for everyone and everything to protect our water – from governments to communities and everyone in between – businesses have a special opportunity to be water stewards.
For your average business, water is present everywhere. Water flows from corporate headquarters, through manufacturing facilities and complex supply chains, into the fields where raw materials are grown and to communities where people live and work. That water doesn’t come from a tap - it is generated from river and groundwater basins – the likes of which collectively drive our world economy.
If we address water issues, we can secure the productivity of the world's 10 most populous river basins, which is projected to double by 2050. Doing so will not be easy – already freshwater species are disappearing from the planet faster than any other. This is why we are working to help achieve the world’s big, audacious water goal – to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
Most companies already know that water will affect their business growth and profitability and are making the businesses decisions to address water needs – particularly on how to operate facilities in ways that reduce water risks and promote sustainable management. Even shareholders and investors are increasingly interested in how companies are addressing water issues. Water is now recognized as a material risk, and stewardship is critical to long-term business growth.
But private sector’s impact on water issues can go well beyond the locations they choose to build their companies. Businesses can act as agents of innovation and change that will help us meet the water challenges of today and tomorrow. Private sector’s influence is enormous, and where it chooses to lead on natural resource management will be critical to tackling our water issues. That’s why working with corporations to be water stewards is a priority for World Wildlife Fund.
At WWF, our water team has a local-to-global approach that enables us to partner with companies ready to become water stewards, while also advancing the global dialogue on water issues. We help companies understand water risks, connect them to the tools to care for water, and create holistic water strategies that benefit their bottom lines and the world.
We need our water, we share water, so let’s take care of it together.
Published March 22, 2018 at 05:00AM
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