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About the benchmark
This inaugural benchmark report evaluates water stewardship practices among the 72 companies on the Valuing Water Finance Initiative focus list. The report assesses how these companies from four water-intensive industries including food, beverage, apparel, and hi-tech are performing against the Corporate Expectations for Valuing Water, which set an ambition for companies to reach by 2030.
Download the methodology and the dataset to learn more.
The report’s key findings underscore a clear imperative: companies must accelerate their efforts to advance their water stewardship strategies, all while keeping the 2030 Corporate Expectations at the forefront of their initiatives:
Water quantity-related targets often fail to consider local watershed conditions.
Water quality is largely overlooked in setting corporate water stewardship targets.
Water risk assessments often lack local context.
Most companies fail to assess water resource impacts resulting from their activities.
Ambitious action is needed to protect ecosystems critical to freshwater supplies.
Access to water and sanitation (WASH) needs more focus from the private sector.
Gaps remain in board oversight of water risks and governance incentives linked to water.
Water risks in the value chain need to be sufficiently considered in business planning.
Only a handful of companies use basic metrics for water pricing, and none assess the full value of water to their business and society.
Few companies are furthering water stewardship through public policy advocacy related to water.
Companies are behind in supporting a more just and inclusive economy through their water stewardship strategies.
Despite promising examples of collective action, more attention is needed to ensure positive outcomes in high-risk watersheds.
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