In the market for change: the first steps in water stewardship for business

You’ve heard it before: if we all do our part, the cumulative impact will be great and we can change the world. Agreed. But imagine if businesses, some of the largest water users, stepped up and did the same – that change would happen even faster.
I was just chatting with the author of the brilliant blog post about the Water Risk Filter, Eric Mysak (freshwater conservation analyst), and Joanna Barrington (strategic partnerships manager) about an upcoming event organized by WWF, the Alliance for Water Stewardship, and Deloitte being held this Thursday at the University of Toronto’s Munk Center.  The overarching theme of the event is on water related risks.  In Canada and abroad, this is becoming an issue of ever growing relevance.  The event will explore this topic and showcase key tools and mechanisms to help transform water related risks into share opportunities.

©Frank Parhizgar/WWF-Canada

Just like the first step in solving your problem is admitting you have one, the first step in dealing with water risk in the business world is figuring out what it is. To that end, WWF-International developed the Water Risk Filter, a one-of a kind tool that gives companies a place to start when trying to identify water related risks and become better water stewards (you can read all about it in Eric’s blog). It is the culmination of several years of work, extensive expert reviews, and pilot applications across various sectors and locations.
As businesses begin to take these significant first steps, it is important to set a benchmark that all (fingers crossed) business will strive to reach. Enter: the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS).  The AWS is a coalition of organizations (including WWF) that is coordinating the development of an International Water Stewardship Standard. The Standard will function as a third party-verified certification process recognizing leaders in water stewardship for their efforts.  Essentially, it is envisioned as the “gold standard” of water stewardship around the world (much like MSC for sustainable seafood and FSC for forest products).
Another important step is for businesses to report and disclose their environmental impacts. The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) is a not-for-profit organization that provides such a platform. CDP’s Water Disclosure Project uses a questionnaire that complements the Water Risk Filter to collect information from companies about their water uses, risks, and impacts, the results of which were recently summarized in a report written by Deloitte. It goes to show that even a consultancy group like Deloitte has a stake in our global water issues – they understand that for their clients to succeed in a world increasingly impacted by water constraints, they’ll have to take these issues seriously. It’s interesting to see how far-reaching this issue is and how it ties unexpected partners together.
This Thursday, the first draft of the AWS Standard will be open for public consultation – yes, you can have a say – and WWF experts will present the Water Risk Filter in detail. I hope to attend the event to broaden my list of water stewardship measures: short showers, full dishwashers, shouting, and learning more. Gaining an understanding of global water issues and stewardship opportunities is as much a part of creating change as taking actions at home.
You can participate too – RSVP to [email protected] and join us!