Environmental Leader/Alyssa Danigelis: CDP: World’s Largest Companies Ignore Water Withdrawal Risks

Environmental Leader
News and Best Practices for
Commercial & Industrial Environmental Professionals
Skip to content
Menu

Environmental Leader and Energy Manager Conference 2019 - Click Here.

CDP: World’s Largest Companies Ignore Water Withdrawal Risks
March 22, 2019 by Alyssa Danigelis
CDP: World’s Largest Companies Ignore Water Withdrawal Risks
(Photo Credit: Brad Helmink on Unsplash)

A CDP analysis of corporate water withdrawal published today shows that the world’s largest companies are using more of the resource despite greater awareness of the risks. The new study looked at water data from nearly 800 publicly listed companies representing $18 trillion.

Called Treading Water, the analysis found that 75% of companies report exposure to substantive water risks, up from 70% in 2015, but during the same period there has been a nearly 50% rise in companies reporting higher water withdrawals. The highest withdrawals occurred for companies operating in Asia and Latin America as well as in the following sectors: food, beverage and agriculture, manufacturing, and mineral extraction, CDP said.

Water risks have the potential to disrupt production, damage brands, and even cause companies to lose their license to operate in a region, according to the nonprofit global environmental disclosure platform.

Other takeaways from Treading Water:

    Only 31% of companies in high-impact sectors have incentives in place for C-suite executives on water-related issues.
    Retail was the worst performing and least transparent of all the sectors analyzed, outstripping the fossil fuel sector for the first time.
    Companies reported $38 billion in water-related financial losses last year.

Despite the enormous scale of the water withdrawal problem, several companies showed enough progress to rank at the top of CDP’s Water Security A List for 2018. They included AstraZeneca, Diageo, L’Oréal, and Microsoft. These companies demonstrated that they regularly assess their water risk exposure and implemented a strategic response to those risks, the nonprofit said.

Still, many organizations fail to incentivize better water issue management.

“The companies reporting to CDP are responsible for a huge proportion of global water use and pollution,” said Cate Lamb, director of water security at CDP. “While many of their practices and procedures currently contribute to the depletion of freshwater resources, these companies could also hold the key to a water secure future. This transition is full of possibility and opportunity — to succeed, those companies that affect our water, must work to protect it.”

The 4th Annual Environmental Leader & Energy Manager Conference takes place May 13 – 15, 2019 in Denver. Learn more here.
Categories Environmental Management, Feature, Retail & Restaurants, WaterTags CDP, report, Retail, water, Water Efficiency, Water Management, water usage
Comment Below On This Story
Download Center
Transitioning to a Cloud-based Platform
Sponsored By:
Wildnoteapp
New Trends in Industrial Pollution Control Provide Better Results, Lower Costs.
Sponsored By:
Anguil Environmental Systems
Choosing the Correct Emission Control Technology
Sponsored By:
Anguil Environmental Systems
Is Energy-From-Waste Worse Than Coal?
Sponsored By:
Covanta Environmental Solutions
Waste and Climate: Reducing Your Footprint
Sponsored By:
Covanta Environmental Solutions
Zero Waste To Landfill
Sponsored By:
Covanta Environmental Solutions
Environmental Leader Product & Project Awards 2018
Sponsored By:
Environmental Leader
Environmental Leader Product and Project Awards 2017
Sponsored By:
Environmental Leader
Latest Products
Energy & Heat Recovery Systems

Anguil designs, manufactures, installs and services heat and energy recovery systems for industrial applications and manufacturing operations. By util ...
Environmental & Material Management Consulting

We offer a wide range of professional and consulting services from customized recycling programs to liability and risk protection programs.

Ar ...
Certification, verification, assessment and training services

ISO standards, AS/EN standards, IATF, GFSI scheme standards, HACCP, hospital accreditation and healthcare certification programs, product assurance
GaBi Software

Improve your Product Sustainability Performance GaBi combines the world’s leading Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) modelling and reporting software, c ...
Service Excellence Program

PARTS AND LABOR TOTALLY COVERED FOR 10 YEARS.
Leave a Comment

Press Releases
Anguil Celebrates a Major Milestone

Milwaukee, WI: Starting an environmental company in the late 1970’s was not nearly as well received as it would be today, but Gene Anguil, Fo …
Covanta Completes Acquisition to Operate and Maintain Palm Beach County Florida Energy-from-Waste Facilities

MORRISTOWN, N.J. – September 18, 2018 – Covanta Holding Corporation (NYSE:CVA) has successfully completed the previously announced acqu …
DNV GL launches Operations and Analytics Centre in India to Enable 24/7 Monitoring for Renewable Assets Globally

BENGALURU, India – 19 September 2018 – DNV GL, the world’s largest independent energy advisory and certification body, has launched a new Global O …
Recommended Suppliers
NEWSLETTER
NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

Join 100,000+ subscribers who gain a competitive advantage with our news and analysis.
Select the newsletters that interest you:
Environmental Leader Newsletter (Mon, Wed, Fri)
Energy Manager Today Newsletter (Mon, Wed, Fri)
Environmental Leader & Energy Manager Conference 2019 - Click Here.
Environmental Leader & Energy Manager Conference 2019 - Click Here.
Leaders Live

    image
    New Trends in Industrial Pollution Control

View All Leaders Live

Leaders Leading

    image
    ASU and City of Phoenix Offer Experts, Introductions & Advisement to Circular Economy Projects

Webinars

    image
    The Rise of Distributed Generation – DER, EE,...

    Upcoming Webinars

Sponsored By Gensuite
Sponsored By Environmental Leader
UPCOMING WEBINARS

    The Rise of Distributed Generation – DER, EE, Storage and Demand Response
    Understanding Your Options for No-Cost Energy Projects
    Microgrids: An Exclusive Three-Part Series Sponsored by MTU Onsite Energy

ON DEMAND WEBINARS

    Can IoT Drive EHS Performance?
    Tier II, TRI, and NPRI: Get Ready for 2019 Reporting Season
    Digital Technology Streamlines Environmental Compliance, Long-term Monitoring, Ecological Restoration, and Complex Remediation
    Simplifying the Economics of C&I Solar-Plus-Storage
    Financing Backup Generator Upgrades with Demand Response Earnings

See More Webinars >

FOLLOW US social-footer-twittersocial-footer-linkedinsocial-footer-facebooksocial-footer-googlesocial-footer-youtubesocial-footer-rss
PRIVACY POLICY | ABOUT US | SEND A STORY | ADVERTISE
© Copyright 2019 Environmental Leader ® is a registered trademark of Business Sector Media LLC.
Translate »