CSR And Water Conservation

Today, we launch "The Economics of Water: Valuing the Hydrological Cycle as a Global Common Good" - the final report and culmination of two and a half years of work by the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, which I co-chair alongside Johan Rockström, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Tharman Shanmugaratnam. The Stern Review rewrote the Economics of Climate Change, the Dasgupta Review rewrote the Economics of Biodiversity, and today “The Economics of Water: Valuing the Hydrological Cycle as a Global Common Good” rewrites the economics of water, completing the environmental trilogy and laying the bedrock for how to value, govern, and finance water in a fundamentally new way. The costs of inaction are massive. Our assessments show that the water crisis puts at risk more than half of the world’s food production by 2050 and it threatens an 8% loss of GDP in countries around the world on average by 2050, with as much as a 15% loss in lower-income countries. Weak economics focused on reactively fixing markets instead of shaping economies combined with destructive land use practices, the persistent mismanagement of water resources, and the worsening climate crisis have put the global water cycle under unprecedented stress. The message is clear: we can turn the tide on the global water crisis but only if we mobilise systemic, collective, and economy-wide action. The report recommends governments adopt five critical mission areas to develop a more joined-up, all-of-government response: 💧 Launch a new revolution in food systems: Transform agriculture to reduce water reliance, strengthen farmers' incomes, and deliver equitable nutrition. 💧 Conserve and restore natural habitats critical to protecting green water: Integrate the benefits of green water into land use management and conservation investments. 💧 Establish a circular water economy: Capture the full value of every drop of water through wastewater reuse and minimising inefficiencies in water distribution. 💧 Enable a clean-energy and AI-rich era with much lower water intensity: Ensure the growth of renewable energy, semiconductors, and AI does not exacerbate global water stresses. 💧 Ensure no child need die from unsafe water by 2030: Address the human tragedy of unsafe water and sanitation, particularly in poor and vulnerable communities. Read the full report to learn more about what missions mean for mobilising innovation, designing partnerships, shaping finance, and governing utilites and data. It is time to shape our economies to become radically more efficient, equitable, and environmentally sustainable in their water use. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/ePe7F68A #EconomicsOfWater

Apple's five-pillar water strategy and supply chain Vs. operations water use. Technology giant Apple has just released its water strategy and approach to water stewardship, including five pillars: ✏️ Low-water design: minimizing water impacts in the design of products, manufacturing processes, Apple-managed services, and sites. 🏭 Site efficiency and conservation: improving performance of existing sites and processes. 🌊 Site water stewardship: demonstrating responsibility beyond its facilities through watershed-level engagement. 🌿 Replenishment and nature-based solutions: improving water availability, quality, and access through regenerative approaches. 🤵 Leadership and advocacy: advancing water management through policy, advocacy, and technology innovation. There's been several discussions on this platform recently about the need for 'big tech' to drive change and stewardship across its supply chain - appreciate the push on this, Scott McCready! Diving into this further in this report, Apple breaks down its water footprint across two areas (direct operations - 1%) Vs (supply chain - 99%), as follows: - Direct operations: data centers, corporate facilities, retail - Supply chain water footprint: materials, modules & components, final assembly. This 1% Vs. 99% is a stark wake-up call on where the major water use occurs. Apple said: "When we begin our business relationship with most suppliers, they’re operating out of existing facilities. In those cases, our ability to influence site selection and design is limited. Our greatest influence in these situations is in design of the manufacturing processes that require water to operate. We focus on introducing new technology to recycle or reclaim process wastewater or new methodologies for treating wastewater." The organisation added that "low water design" means working with its suppliers in the early stages of engineering validation, before manufacturing reaches full production. In theory, this sounds amazing. How does it work out in practice? If a manufacturer in the middle of the supply chain is being pressurised from 'big tech' to improve its water use, is it forced to change if it's not regulated to do so? Should big tech select suppliers that are better water stewards to start with? Thoughts from Will Sarni Rylan Dobson Paul Fleming Alejandro Sturniolo Full link to the water strategy document in the comments 👇 #water #waterstewardship #climate #technology #innovation

🌍💧 The clock is ticking on corporate water stewardship. The new 2025 Valuing Water Finance Initiative (VWFI) Benchmark — developed by Ceres, Inc. in partnership with Quantis— reveals that while companies are making progress on water, it’s not fast or deep enough to meet the challenges ahead. Across four water-intensive industries — food, beverage, apparel, and tech — we see encouraging signs: ✅ 83% of companies now set water-use targets ✅ 73% have board-level oversight of water issues ✅ More are engaging in ecosystem restoration and WASH access initiatives But the gaps remain stark: ⚠️ Only half of companies target high-risk watersheds ⚠️ Few integrate water quality, ecosystem impacts, or justice and equity into core strategy ⚠️ Collective action often lacks alignment with measurable water targets With global demand for freshwater expected to outstrip supply by 40% within just five years, water is no longer a sustainability side issue — it’s a business continuity imperative. At Quantis, we’re proud to have worked hand-in-hand with Ceres to deliver this data-driven benchmark — helping investors and companies understand where progress is real, where it’s stalled, and how to accelerate impact by 2030. The message is clear: ➡️ Elevate water to the boardroom. ➡️ Act where it matters most — in high-risk basins and communities. ➡️ Collaborate beyond boundaries to safeguard shared resources. Let’s turn insight into action — and build a water-resilient economy that supports both business and life. 🔗 Download the full report: https://lnkd.in/e4R9Dn8y Congratulations to the Quantis team — Sara Traubel, Selin Ersoy, Rosie Saad and Satwik Mudgal — for contributing to this important work with Ceres. #WaterStewardship #Sustainability #CorporateResponsibility #Ceres #Quantis #ValuingWater #ESG #ClimateResilience #NaturePositive

Amazon just launched a new “𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿” hub that’s worth your attention. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 Water is a crucial, shared resource for us all, and we are deeply committed to drive a positive impact. Amazon is now 53% of the way toward its goal for AWS to be water positive by 2030, up from 41% the previous year, showing how fast progress can accelerate when water becomes a strategic priority. We have already contracted more than $1B in investments for treatment upgrades and distribution systems that enable large-scale water reclamation, not just incremental efficiency tweaks. 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 What I like about this update is how it moves beyond “using less water in our own four walls” toward system-level impact. 𝚁̲𝚎̲𝚍̲𝚞̲𝚌̲𝚎̲: Improving water use efficiency across data centers and facilities, including in water-stressed regions. 𝚁̲𝚎̲𝚞̲𝚜̲𝚎̲: Scaling reclaimed and recycled water for operations instead of relying on potable sources. 𝚁̲𝚎̲𝚙̲𝚕̲𝚎̲𝚗̲𝚒̲𝚜̲𝚑̲: Funding replenishment projects expected to restore billions of liters of water annually in communities facing scarcity. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 For those of us working on sustainability in large, global marketplaces, water is increasingly intertwined with climate risk and supply chain resilience. This kind of transparent, quantified progress on water stewardship creates a useful benchmark for how digital businesses can connect cloud, logistics, agriculture, and cities around a shared water agenda. I recommend spending 10 minutes exploring the new water spotlight (the FAQs are particularly inspiring) and asking yourself: “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯?” https://lnkd.in/e69FnTZw

New Publication!! 🌍 Overcoming barriers to the adoption of water-saving technologies in Jordan: policy pathways for transforming knowledge, attitudes, and practices💧 Authors: MAHA Al-ZU'BI, Ph.D. Nafn Amdar Youssef Brouziyne Jordan is facing a severe water scarcity crisis, worsened by rapid population growth, climate change, and the overuse of limited groundwater. With per capita water availability at just 61 m³/year—far below the global threshold of 500 m³/year—it’s one of the most water-scarce countries in the world. 🌿 The agricultural sector, which consumes nearly 48% of the country’s freshwater, is hit especially hard. The reliance on inefficient irrigation methods has led to low water productivity, particularly in the highlands, where productivity is only JOD 0.36 per m³, far below the potential achievable with Water Saving Technologies (WSTs). 💡 However, several barriers hinder the adoption of these critical technologies: - Financial Constraints 💸 - Limited Extension Services 📚 - Technical Gaps 🔧 - Unequal Access, especially for smallholders and marginalized communities 🚜 Many farmers struggle to integrate WSTs into their practices without proper guidance and support. Aligning farmers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) with water conservation goals is key to ensuring the successful adoption of these technologies. 🌱 To address these challenges, a multi-faceted approach is required: 💧Research & Tailored Support: Researchers can pinpoint adoption barriers, while practitioners offer targeted guidance to overcome them. 💧Policymaker Action: Policies should encourage WST adoption through financial incentives, education, and research. 💧Education & Awareness Campaigns: Farmers need to understand the long-term benefits of WSTs for sustainable farming. 💧Financial Support: Subsidies or low-interest loans can help make these technologies more accessible, especially for smallholders. 💧A Farmer-Centric Approach: A Market Systems Development (MSD) strategy can improve the market system surrounding WSTs, while peer learning and strong extension services offer ongoing support. By tackling these issues, we can ensure long-term water security and agricultural productivity for Jordan. Together, we can drive the adoption of water-saving technologies and pave the way for a more sustainable future. 🌱 #WaterSecurity #Agriculture #Sustainability #Jordan #WaterSavingTechnologies #ClimateChange #Innovation #WaterConservation #AgricultureSustainability #FutureOfFarming #MarketSystemsDevelopment International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Read full Policy Brief: https://lnkd.in/epr2fWpT

Working in the food and beverage industry, you start seeing water differently. It’s essential to everything—from growing ingredients to making products to running operations. But sometimes, the biggest changes come from rethinking the everyday. Take potatoes. They’re 80% water, and when cooked to make Lay’s, that water naturally evaporates. Instead of letting it disappear, we now capture, purify, and reuse it—turning what was once lost into a resource. In Thailand, this saves up to 60 million liters of water a year at one site. It’s just one example of how we’re building water resilience and improving watershed health in the face of climate change. In 2024, PepsiCo supported 16 new water replenishment projects across 9 countries, returning over 1.7 billion liters to local watersheds. In China, our partnership with the China Women’s Development Foundation is helping 24,000 farmers improve irrigation and save more than 4 million tons of water. Water is becoming more unpredictable. But resilience is built through action—rethinking how we use it, replenishing what we take, and protecting this vital resource for future generations. #WorldWaterDay2025

Last week, we released a detailed report chronicling Google's 112 diverse water projects worldwide that hold the potential to replenish over 8 billion gallons annually. How can we best combine learnings from these local initiatives with technologies like AI and precision irrigation to accelerate progress towards water security? This is something I've been thinking about this Earth Month. ICYMI Google is committed to water stewardship, aiming to replenish 120% of the freshwater we consume across our offices and data centers by 2030. This past World Water Day, we shared encouraging progress and highlighted new initiatives focused on the critical nexus of water and agriculture. Here's a snapshot of our global water stewardship efforts: 🟢 We aim to replenish 120% of the freshwater consumed across our operations (offices and data centers, on average) by 2030. 🟢 As of the end of 2024, we are supporting 112 water stewardship projects spread across 68 watersheds globally. 🟢 In 2024 alone, these collective efforts replenished an estimated 4.5 billion gallons of water. 🟢 Once fully implemented, this portfolio of projects has the estimated capacity to replenish over 8 billion gallons annually. Recognizing agriculture's significant water footprint, four of our recently launched partnerships specifically target water management and efficiency in farming communities supplying water to our operational areas. These include: 🔵 Supporting critical water infrastructure for drought-affected smallholder farmers in Chile's Maipo Basin (with Agua Segura & BEF). 🔵 Demonstrating innovative manure drip irrigation to conserve water and protect groundwater in California's dairy industry (with Sustainable Conservation). 🔵 Piloting precision gravity-powered drip irrigation to reduce water demand for rice cultivation in Taiwan (with N-Drip Gravity Micro Irrigation). 🔵 Applying AI-powered tools to help potato farmers in France optimize irrigation, saving water and resources (with xFarm Technologies). These collaborations underscore how targeted investment and technological innovation can support both agricultural livelihoods and water security. You can read more in Google's 2025 Water Stewardship Project Portfolio summary report, and our blogpost here - https://lnkd.in/gFs7wn5k #WaterStewardship #Sustainability #Google #SustainableAgriculture #WaterConservation #TechForGood #Circularity #EarthMonth #WorldWaterDay

I shouldn't play favorites with the water projects we're investing in around the world, but I think the efforts we announced two weeks ago to reduce water loss in Mexico City, Monterrey, and Queretaro are a model for how the private sector can catalyze action on the world's most pressing water challenges. The combination of pressure optimization and leak detection and repair projects led by technology partners Xylem and Aquestia are conservatively expected to save 2.5M m3 of water per year, and we hope this is just the start of these efforts. In Mexico City, we're seeing 20%+ reductions in water loss from the pilot project we implemented earlier this year, higher than the pre-project target of 7-15%. We recently committed additional funds to expand this work to other parts of the city. The hope is that others will join us to further scale these efforts and eventually minimize water loss across the water systems for all three cities. Mexico City, in particular, has made headlines in recent years as the city of 22M people has faced the prospect of having to turn off water taps across the city due to shortages. As climate change exacerbates these challenges, continuing to lose 30%+ of public water supplies to leaks just isn't sustainable. Spanish: https://lnkd.in/g5wZ6EYv English: https://lnkd.in/gbPKydGS

🚨 AI’s water footprint is growing - and Microsoft is stepping up to balance it. 📉 We’ve been hearing a lot about the rising water consumption of AI-driven companies like Microsoft. In fact, their water use jumped 23% in 2023, following a 34% increase in 2022, mainly due to the massive cooling needs of AI data centers. But let’s talk about the brighter side - water replenishment. 🚀 Microsoft has a dedicated team, including Eliza Roberts, Paulina Concha, Ivana Kajtezovic and others — working behind the scenes to help the company achieve its water-positive goal by 2030, meaning they’ll replenish more water than they consume. So far, they’ve launched 49+ replenishment projects to make that happen. 💡 What really caught my eye? Microsoft is expanding beyond the usual NGO partnerships (like The Nature Conservancy, WaterAid, and Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF)) and teaming up with innovative water solution providers. This shift highlights how tech and entrepreneurship are shaping the future of corporate water stewardship. ✅ A key trend: Many of Microsoft’s partners use AI-powered solutions, aligning naturally with Azure offerings—a true win-win collaboration. ✅ Emerald Technology Ventures stood out—investing in 3 out of 8 companies that directly support corporate water replenishment initiatives. 🌍 For companies with water stewardship goals, the landscape is evolving fast. If you’re looking for real-world replenishment projects, we’ve compiled 600+ corporate-led initiatives—and we’re building a tool to help you filter them based on your needs on the global map. 💬 Drop a comment saying “interested” or ping me in my DM - we’d love to show you what we’re working on and hear your thoughts! 🚀 Companies Mentioned: Aganova | Botanical Water Technologies | FIDO Tech | FluxGen | Kilimo | Wavin | Organica Water | SWAN Systems Paul O'Callaghan | Jeff Guild | Lily Chen | Aoife Kelleher | Sarthak B. #WaterStewardship #AI #Sustainability #Microsoft #CorporateWater

💧 300 liter. That is the amount of water it takes to produce just 1 liter of 🍺 beer when you factor in the full value chain (from barley fields to bottling). 🍺 For a medium-sized bottling facility producing 50 million liters of beer per year, that translates to several billion liters of water. So water clearly is business - and not just for us German beer drinkers! And not just for beverage companies. From cooling data centers to processing textiles and growing raw ingredients, water is a foundational resource that is still often poorly understood and even more poorly managed. If your company wants to understand where you stand and what leading practice looks like, the new Ceres, Inc. 2025 Valuing Water Benchmark is worth reading. 👉 71 companies across food, beverage, apparel, and tech were assessed: https://lnkd.in/es6rqgFT Some findings that I found particularly interesting: ✅ Most high-water-footprint companies now set water quantity targets (mostly time-bound goals) ✅ Some are moving toward basin-level targets that consider the actual local conditions (context-based targets – but only 6%) ✅ Board-level oversight of water is increasing — with growing use of water-linked incentives But at the same time: ❌ Most risk assessments still ignore local watershed context ❌ Only few companies have visibility into the water use of their supply chains ❌ Only 2 companies (out of 71!) use an internal water price that reflects environmental and social value So my key take-away is: Smart, impactful corporate water stewardship is emerging. But the gap between leaders and those lagging behind is also growing.