Pioneering Water Stewardship Strategies: A Focus on Sustainability and Industrial Responsibility

Sustainability has risen to the top of the corporate agenda, and achieving a positive impact on water is now a focus of most environmentally responsible organizations. Industrial users will need to think differently in order to truly move the dial on water stewardship.

With population growth, economic development, changing consumption patterns and climate change all putting pressure on our planet’s water supplies, water scarcity and challenging treatment conditions are no longer the only factors driving change in industrial water. We’ve reached a turning point where proactive water stewardship is a growing focus for industrial water users that need to “do more with less” by reducing consumption and increasing water reuse and recycling.

Going beyond the idea of a circular economy, there is increased recognition and seriousness in implementing water-positive and net-zero impact strategies. However, these commitments are not always easy to measure and often don’t adhere to a single definition. In many cases, sustainability efforts involve stakeholders across the value chain. No one size fits all, but that’s not to say responsible water stewardship can’t be accomplished.

The water industry’s future will be shaped by our ability to help industrial users define and meet the objectives of their water-positive and net-zero impact strategies. Achieving these ambitious goals will require a thought process and approach different from what has been traditionally practiced. Enhanced collaboration will be vital to achieving water stewardship targets. Industrial users will need the support of strong partners that integrate technology, expertise and finance to consistently deliver reliable performance at a predictable cost.

Aquatech helps the world’s most recognized companies reduce their water, carbon, and environmental footprints, ultimately reducing water risk. We focus on helping industrial water users bridge the gap between intention and action to achieve their water sustainability goals. A key priority is to educate industrial users on the holistic water stewardship strategies being adopted across the industry. These strategies incorporate responsible planning and proper resource management, in addition to leveraging innovation and experience to balance mission-critical water challenges and paramount sustainable development goals.

At the 2022 Global Water Summit, Global Water Intelligence (GWI). hosted a live panel session entitled “Defining Water-Positive.” The panel was sponsored by Aquatech and featured industrial water stewardship professionals from leading multinational companies such as Danone, Colgate-Palmolive, Meta, and Cargill. As a result of that session, Aquatech partnered with GWI to publish a whitepaper on ‘Moving Towards Water-Positive: Holistic Water Stewardship Strategies for Industry.’

The white paper presents the case for holistic water stewardship strategies among industrial users. Water stewardship is a growing focus, with more companies publishing new sustainability targets each year, particularly aimed at reducing water use and raising water efficiency in direct operations. These efforts are essential and must continue, but stewardship strategies should also expand to encompass work beyond the fence line. Holistic approaches to water stewardship are increasingly necessary to protect shared water resources and mitigate related business risks.

Download the 'Moving Towards Water-Positive: Holistic Water Stewardship Strategies for Industry' whitepaper here.