New Course: Act for water as a company
Written by Joanna CONNELL
Water is at the heart of many economic activities: industrial production, agriculture, energy, textiles, digital technology… And yet, the links between water and business are often poorly understood and only partially addressed. However, amid water stress, more frequent droughts and growing regulatory pressure, it is becoming increasingly critical for businesses to understand their dependence on water, measure their water footprint, and anticipate their water-related risks.
Assessing your water footprint and water risks
This observation led to the creation of the course “Act for water as a company”, which aims to explore the interactions between water and business across various sectors, and how to take action to reduce your impact and build resilience in the face of crises.
But before taking action, you first need to know where you stand. Unlike a carbon footprint assessment, measuring your water footprint requires taking the local context into account: not all cubic metres are equal, depending on the region and the season. Our course provides you with the methods and tools to navigate this issue, including free resources such as WRI’s Aqueduct, and helps you identify your water-related risks, whether they are physical (drought, scarcity), regulatory, economic, or reputational in nature.
Taking action using strategies tailored to your business
So where do you start once you’ve assessed your situation? While there is no universally applicable solution, this course outlines general measures that should be taken at several levels:
- At your own sites
- Through your value chain
- At strategic level
- At regional level (watershed)
We also address the limitations of certain approaches and common mistakes to avoid, so as not to simply shift problems elsewhere in the process of attempting to solve them.
Speakers with practical and research expertise
The course draws on the complementary expertise of Thierry Ziegler (Arkema), who shares his insights on implementing a large-scale water diagnostic; Aurora Gomez (Tu Nube Seca Mi Río), who provides on-the-ground perspectives on water-related conflicts and territorial issues; and Sara Fernandez (INRAE), who draws on scientific research to shed light on the limitations of technical solutions and common misconceptions. These topics are covered in six complementary chapters:
- Water and business: Dependencies and impacts
- Understanding and anticipating water risks
- Measuring your water footprint: Methods and tools
- Levers for action across sites and operations
- Value chain and strategy levers
- Limitations of technical solutions and misconceptions
Discover our course on water now.
