‘Global Water Tool’ will help companies manage water use

Geneva, 7 August 2007 – The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) officially launched its Global Water Tool during World Water Week in Stockholm on 15 August 2007.

It's a free and easy-to-use tool for companies and organizations to map their water use and assess risks relative to their global operations and supply chains.

Under the old business adage “what gets measured, gets managed”, the tool should help companies better manage their water use. Better local management leads to better global management.

The Global Water Tool allows companies to quickly and accurately answer such key questions as:

• How many of our sites are in extremely water-scarce areas? Which sites are at greatest risk? How will that look in the future?
• How many of our employees live in countries that lack access to improved water and sanitation?
• How many of our suppliers are in water-scarce areas now? How many will be in 2025?

It does not provide specific guidance on local situations, which require more in-depth, systematic analysis.

Through an easy to manage process, the tool allows companies to quickly and accurately:

• Compare their water use (including staff presence, industrial use, and supply chain) with validated water and sanitation availability information, both on a country and watershed basis;
• Calculate water consumption and efficiency;
• Establish relative water risks in their portfolio;
• Create key water Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) indicators, inventories, risk and performance metrics;
• Enable effective communications between internal and external stakeholders on water issues.

The tool is downloadable from www.wbcsd.org/web/watertool.htm. For more information on how this tool works, who is on the advisory board, who is providing the data, and what company leaders are saying ……please click here.