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 1  CORPORATE WATER DISCLOSURE GUIDELINES T oward a Common Approach to Reporting Water Issues September 2014

Disclosure CEO Water Mandate 2014

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Guidelines to disclosure water management in companies of the UN Global Compact.

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  • 1

    Corporate Water DisClosure GuiDelinestoward a Common approach to reporting Water issues

    September 2014

  • Core team

    Jason Morrison Peter Schulte Project Director Lead Author

    Pacific Institute pacinst.org

    Lauren Koopman and Natalie Teear PricewaterhouseCoopers www.pwc.com

    Cate Lamb, Karina de Souza, and Marcus Norton CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) www.cdproject.net

    Tien Shiao and Paul Reig World Resources Institute www.wri.org

    strateGiC partner

    Bastian Buck and Laura Espinach Global Reporting Initiative www.globalreporting.org

    aCknoWleDGments

    The CEO Water Mandate Secretariat and project team would like to thank the Mandate-endorsing companies Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Veolia, Coca-Cola, and Sasol, whose funding support enabled the development of these Guidelines. We would also like to recognize and thank the members of the Mandates Water Disclosure Working Group (WDWG) and the Corporate Water Disclosure Stakeholder Advisory Group (CWDSAG) for their ongoing support and feedback throughout the development of the Guidelines (the members of the WDWG and CWDSAG are listed in Appendix D).

    DisClaimer

    All of the views expressed in this publication are those of the CEO Water Mandate and do not necessarily reflect those of the project sponsors or the members of the WDWG or CWDSAG.

    DesiGner

    Dana Beigel

    Cover photo: Notebook at Dreamstime

    ISBN-10:1893790584 ISBN-13:978-1-893790-58-2

    Pacific Institute 654 13th Street, Preservation Park Oakland, CA 94612 pacinst.org

  • Corporate Water DisClosure GuiDelinestoward a Common approach to reporting Water issues

    September 2014

  • 5Foreword

    Companiesarefundamentallychangingthewaytheyaddresswater.Increasingly,theyareinvestinginwater-efficienttechnologies,workingwithsupplierstoencouragemoreresponsiblewateruse,designingcleanerandmoreefficientproducts(andthushelpingconsumerslowertheirwateruse),andseekingtoadvancesustainablewatermanagementoutsidetheirfencelinesasawaytomitigatewater-relatedrisksandnegativeimpacts.Atthesametime,corporatewaterdisclosuretheactofreportingtostakeholdersinformationrelatedtothecurrentstateofacompanyswatermanagement,theimplicationsofthatstateforthebusinessanditsstakeholders,andhowthecompanydevelopsandimplementsstrategicresponseshasemergedasakeycomponentofcorporatewatermanagementpractice.

    Inresponsetothegrowingimportancetobusinessesofbothwatermanagementgenerallyanddisclosurespecifically,anumberofinitiativesareseekingtoprovideguidanceonhowcompaniescan:

    Measuretheirwaterperformance

    Assessconditionsintheriverbasinswheretheyoperate

    Understandtheirwater-relatedchallengesandopportunities

    Developeffectivewatermanagementstrategies

    Communicatetheseissuestostakeholders

    Theseinitiativeshavecatalyzedsignificantprogresstowardmoresustainablecorporatewatermanagement.However,theproliferationofwaterassessmentanddisclosuretoolsandmethodologieshasalsoledto:

    Companiesdivertingimportantresourcestocompletemultiplewaterorsustainabilitysurveysofvaryingcontent

    Companiesusingavarietyofmetricsthatarenoteasilycomparable,therebyweakeningthevalueofdisclosureofferings

    Beyondthis,currentpracticeincorporatewaterdisclosure(evenamongthemostadvancedreporters)typicallydoesnotadequatelycapturetheincrediblycomplexandlocation-specificnatureofwaterresourcedynamicsandcorporateactiononwater.Manycompaniesarethereforelookingfordetailedguidanceonhowtomoreeffectivelydisclosethemanyelementsofcorporatewatermanagementpractice.

    Foreword

  • 6 Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines

    TheCEOWaterMandatesCorporateWaterDisclosureGuidelinesofferacommonapproachtodisclosure.Theyputforwardmetricsthatcanbegintoharmonizepracticeandalsoprovideguidancefordefiningwhattoreport.ItisourhopetheseGuidelinesdriveconvergenceandharmonizationwithrespecttohowcompaniesreporttheirwatermanagementpracticeswhilehelpingtominimizereportingburdens,thusallowingcompaniestoallocatemoretimeandresourcestoactivelymanagewater.

    ThePacificInstitute(representingtheMandateSecretariat)ledthedevelopmentoftheGuidelines,seekinginputfromorganizationsandinitiativeswithexpertiseinthisarea.PricewaterhouseCoopersLLPservedasastrategicadviserandprovidedinputthroughoutthisprocess.CDP(formerlytheCarbonDisclosureProject),WorldResourcesInstitute(WRI),andGlobalReportingInitiative(GRI)wereprojectpartners,offeringinsightregardingwaterdisclosurepracticesandhelpingtoensurethattheGuidelinesbuiltonexistingapproacheswherepossibleandappropriate.

    TheprojectteamregularlyconsultedwiththeMandatesWaterDisclosureWorkingGroup(WDWG)comprisingrepresentativesfrommanyMandate-endorsingcompaniesaswellaswiththeCorporateWaterDisclosureStakeholderAdvisoryGroup(CWDSAG),whichincludedavarietyofrepresentativesfromcivilsocietygroups,water-relatedtooldevelopers,tradeassociations,government,andintergovernmentalorganizations.AcompletelistofWDWGandCWDSAGmemberscanbefoundinAppendixD.ConsultationwiththeseindividualswasgearedtowardensuringthattheGuidelinesremainuser-friendlywhileaddressingthewidearrayofcompanyandstakeholderinterestsincorporatewaterdisclosure.

    Giventhatcorporatewatermanagementanddisclosurepracticearerapidlyevolving,theCEOWaterMandateplanstorevisitandamendtheGuidelinesasneeded.

  • ContentsSECTION 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................4

    Objectives...........................................................................................................................................4

    HowToUsetheGuidelines.............................................................................................................4

    SECTION 2 Aligning Disclosure with Corporate Water Management Practices .................8

    TheBusinessCaseforCorporateWaterDisclosure..................................................................8

    HowDisclosureFitsIntoCorporateWaterManagement...................................................... 10

    TheLong-TermCorporateWaterManagementMaturityProgression................................ 12

    HowDisclosureFitswithCorporateWaterManagementMaturity.................................... 14

    SECTION 3 Company Water Profile .........................................................................................17

    SECTION 4 Defining What to Report ......................................................................................20

    RelevanceandMateriality:WhatareThey?............................................................................. 20

    AssessingRelevanceandMaterialityforWater-RelatedTopics........................................... 21

    STEP 1: Identifying Relevant Water-Related Topics ........................................................................ 21

    STEP 2: Prioritizing Relevant Water-Related Topics ....................................................................... 24

    STEP 3: Validating the Outcomes of the Materiality Assessment .................................................... 26

    STEP 4: Review .................................................................................................................................. 26

    CommunicatingtheProcessForDefiningWhattoReport.................................................. 26

    SECTION 5 Detailed Disclosure ...............................................................................................30

    UNDERSTANDINGANDLINKINGCOMPONENTSOFTHEFRAMEWORK.......................... 30

    Basic and advanced reporting .......................................................................................................... 30

    Geographic/geopolitical scale of reporting ....................................................................................... 32

    Connections between sections and subsections ................................................................................. 32

    Linkages across sustainability issues ................................................................................................. 33

    ASSESSINGTHECURRENTSTATE.............................................................................................. 35

    Context ............................................................................................................................................... 36

    Performance ....................................................................................................................................... 40

    Compliance ........................................................................................................................................ 47

    CONSIDERINGTHEIMPLICATIONS........................................................................................... 49

    Business Risks ..................................................................................................................................... 50

    Business Opportunities ...................................................................................................................... 54

    External Impacts ............................................................................................................................... 56

    DEVELOPINGASTRATEGICRESPONSE.................................................................................... 60

    Policies, Governance, and Targets................................................................................................. 61

    Internal Actions............................................................................................................................. 66

    External Engagement.................................................................................................................... 71

    APPENDIX A: Corporate Water Disclosure Glossary .............................................................78

    APPENDIX B: Harmonizing Terminology the Relationship between Water Scarcity, Water Stress, and Water Risk .........................83

    APPENDIX C: Interactive Database of the Worlds River Basins .........................................85

    Appendix D: Water Disclosure Working Group Members and Corporate Water Disclosure Stakeholder Advisory Group Members ................................87

  • 3Contents

    SECTION 1 introduction

  • 4 Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines

    SECTION 1 introduction

    OBJECTIVES

    TheseCorporateWaterDisclosureGuidelinesseektoadvanceacommonapproachtocorporate water disclosure thataddressesthecomplexityandlocalnatureofwaterresources.Inordertoachievethisoverarchinggoal,theGuidelines:

    Identifycommoncorporatewaterdisclosuremetricsthatsupportharmonizationandcomparabilityovertimeandacrosscompanies

    Provideguidanceonhowcompaniescanassessthewater-relatedtopicsthatarethemostrelevanttothemandtheirstakeholders(aswellashowtoreportthisassessmentprocess)

    Describehowcompaniescanbestreportactivitiesthataredifficulttodepictquantitatively,suchaspolicyadvocacyorengagementwithnongovernmentalorganizations(NGOs),governments,suppliers,andcommunities

    Aligncorporatewatermanagementwithdisclosuresoastoenablecompaniestounderstandwhichinformationismostappropriatetoreportandhowtogeneratewaterdisclosurecontent

    HOW TO USE THE GUIDELINES

    STRUCTUREANDAPPLICABILITy

    Corporatewatermanagementobjectivesandactivitiesvarygreatlydependingonindustrysectorandgeographiclocation.Thisdynamicleadstomanypossibledisclosureapproachesandmetricsthataremorerelevanttocertaincompaniesthanothers.Inthespiritofadvancingharmonizedreportingpractices,allthesuggestedmetricsandinformationprovidedintheGuidelinesaredesignedtobeapplicabletoabroadrangeofcorporatewaterusers,regardlessofindustrysectorandregion.However,manycompanieswilllikelychoosetoaugmenttheirreportswithmetricsandinformationparticularlyrelevanttotheirspecificindustryorgeography.

    Corporate water disclosurealsovariessignificantlydependingontherelevanceofwatertothecompanyanditsstakeholdersandthematurityofacompanyswatermanagementpractices.Forthisreason,somecompaniesmaynotdeemitnecessaryorhelpfultoreportthefullrangeofinformationsuggestedintheseGuidelines.Othersmaybeabletoreportonlyalimitedamountofwater-relatedinformationduetonascentwatermanagementpractices.TheseGuidelinesaredesignedtobeapplicabletothiswidespectrumofprospectivedisclosers.Theyaredividedintofoursections.

    Section 2: Aligning Disclosure with Corporate Water Management Practicesdiscussestheprocessesthatunderpinacompanyswaterdisclosure.Indoingso,itillustrateshowcompaniesgeneratewaterdisclosureinformationwithintheirbroaderwatermanagementpractice,aswellashowwaterdisclosureissituatedwithintheireffortstoimproveaswaterresourcemanagersovertime.Thissectioncanhelpacompanyassesstherelativematurityofitswatermanagementpracticeandindoingsoidentifythewater-relatedinformationthatitwilllikelybeabletoreportmostrobustly.

  • 5SECTION1Introduction

    Section 3: Company Water Profiledescribeshowacompanycanofferasnapshotofitswatermanagementthatabroadspectrumofaudienceswilleasilyunderstand.Theprofilecanbeincludedincompanysustainabilityreports,websites,financialreporting,andotherpublications.

    Section 4: Defining What to Report providesguidanceonhowcompaniescandeterminewhatwater-relatedtopicsarerelevanttothecompanyanditsstakeholdersandwhatinformationismaterialtoreport,aswellashowcompaniescanreportthisprocessitself.Thissectioncanhelpacompanyjustbeginningtoconsideritsapproachtowatermanagementtoassesstheextenttowhichitshouldreport.Itcanhelpmoreadvancedcompaniesdeterminewhichspecificwater-relatedtopicsarematerialtothem.

    Section 5: Detailed Disclosureprovidesin-depthguidanceonthespecifictypesofinformationthatcanbeincludedincorporatewaterdisclosuresanddiscusseshowcompaniescanstructurethisinformationinacoherentmanner.Topromoteaccessibilitytoawiderangeofreaders,themetricsandotherinformationofferedinSection5areorganizedaccordingtomaturityofpractice.

    Basic: Metricsorindicators(quantitativeorqualitative)thatcandemonstratemeaningfulaction.ThisinformationisdefinedinawaythatenablesmostSMEsandthosewithnascentwatermanagementprogramstocollectandreportit.Inmostcases,companiesfocusonbuildingtheircapacitytoassessanddisclosethesecontentareasbeforeproceedingtoreportingmoreadvancedpractices.

    Advanced: Aspirationalguidanceaimedatcompanieswithmaturewatermanagementpractices.Inadditiontoreportingbasicpractices,advancedreportersalsoprovideabroaderandricherlookintotheirwater-relatedtopicsthatultimatelydeliversgreatervaluetodisclosureaudiences.

    Section5alsoincludesseveralexcerptsfromactualcompanywaterdisclosuresthatservetohighlightgoodandinnovativereportingpractices.

    Theappendixes,someofwhicharefoundattheendofthisdocumentandsomeofwhichareavailableontheweb-basedversionoftheseGuidelines,providevarioustypesofdetailedguidance,examplesofpractice,toolsandresources,andothermaterialsthatsupporteffectivecorporatewaterdisclosure.

    Termsinpurple bold fontthroughouttheGuidelinesaredefinedintheglossaryinAppendixA.

    Click here

    A web-based version of these Guidelines can be found at:

    ceowatermandate.org/disclosure. It features the content offered in this print version as well as additional

    guidance and resources. In this docu-ment, grey and yellow circles featur-

    ing the wi-fi symbol link to guidance and tools available only on the web-based version of the Guidelines.

  • 6 Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines

    THECORPORATEWATERDISCLOSUREFRAMEWORK

    Thefullrangeofwater-relatedinformationthatcompaniesreportissummarizedintheCorporateWaterDisclosureFramework(Figure1).TheDisclosureFrameworkisdividedintothreebroadpillarsofinformationwhichtrackdirectlywiththelastthreesectionsoftheseGuidelines(i.e.,CompanyWaterProfile,DefiningWhattoReport,andDetailedDisclosure).TheDisclosureFrameworkservesasawaytocategorizethevarioustypesofcontentfeaturedincomprehensivecorporatewaterdisclosureandtounderstandthestructureoftheseGuidelines.

    FiGure 1: Corporate Water Disclosure Framework

    DETAILED DISCLOSURE

    External impacts

    Policies, governanceand targets

    Current state Implications Response

    Def

    inin

    g W

    ha

    t to

    Rep

    or

    t

    External engagement

    Business risks

    Performance Internal actions

    Compliance

    Context

    Co

    mpa

    ny

    Wa

    ter

    Pr

    ofi

    le

    Business opportunities

    Linkages across sustainability issues (e.g., food, energy)

    Connections between sections and subsections

    HOWTOUSETHEGUIDELINESINCONjUNCTIONWITHOTHERTOOLS

    TheGuidelinesaimtoinformexistingandemergingworkinthefieldofcorporatewatermanagement,assessment,anddisclosure.Specifically,CDPwillseektoalignfutureiterationsofitsWaterInformationRequestwiththeGuidelineswhereverpossible.ThemetricsandinformationputforthintheGuidelinesmightalsoprovehelpfulinthedevelopmentoffuturewater-relatedaspectsofGlobalReportingInitiatives(GRI)G4Guidelines.Finally,itisourhopethattheGuidelinesmightbeadoptedby,orintegratedintoproductsbeingdevelopedby,othercorporatewaterinitiatives,suchastheAllianceforWaterStewardship(AWS),Ceres,GlobalEnvironmentManagementInitiative(GEMI),WaterFootprintNetwork(WFN),WorldBusinessCouncilforSustainableDevelopment(WBCSD),WorldResourcesInstitute(WRI),WorldWildlifeFund(WWF),andothers.

    TheGuidelinesreferenceotherwateranddisclosuretoolsandresourcesatrelevantpointsthroughoutthedocument.Alistofthesetoolsandresourcesisprovidedontheweb-basedversionoftheGuidelines.However,theGuidelinesdonotendorseanyspecifictools.

  • 7SECTION1Introduction

    SECTION 2 aligning Disclosure with Corporate Water management practices

  • 8 Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines

    SECTION 2 aligning Disclosure with Corporate Water management practices

    Corporate water disclosureisonlyoneaspectofacompanysoverallwatermanagementprogramsandpractices.Indeed,effectiveimplementationofcorporatewaterstrategiesreliesoniterativemanagementsystemsfordifferentwater-relatedactivities,includingthosepertainingtointernalcorporatepolicies,governance,andoperationalperformanceaswellasengagementwithstakeholdersoutsidethecompanyfenceline.

    Thissectiondescribeshowwaterdisclosureissituatedwithinandcontributestothesebroadermanagementprocessesandhowitprovidesbusinessvalue.Thesectionoutlinesthepracticalandadministrativestepsthatmakeupatypicalcorporatewatermanagementcycleandthenoffersanoverviewofhowthelong-termmaturityandevolutionofacompanyswatermanagementpracticesrelatetoitswaterdisclosureefforts.

    THE BUSINESS CASE FOR CORPORATE WATER DISCLOSURE

    Companiesareincreasinglymotivatedtobeproactiveandcomprehensiveinmanagingtheirwater risksandnegativeimpacts,1seeinganumberofadvantagestodoingso,including:2

    1. Ensuringthecompanyslegalandsociallicensetooperateinaspecificlocation

    2. Preventingorreactingtooperationalcrisesresultingfromtheinadequateavailability,supply,orqualityofwaterorwater-dependentinputsinaspecificlocation

    3. Gaininganadvantageovercompetitorsbecauseofstakeholderperceptionsthatthecompanyusesnaturalresourcesresponsiblyandhasaminimalnegativeimpactonpeopleandecosystems

    4. Assuringinvestorsandmarketsthatbusinessoperationswillcontinuetobeprofitablebysecuringwateravailabilityforoperationsandreducingwater-relatedcosts

    5. Upholdingcorporatevaluesbasedonsustainableandequitabledevelopmentbycontributingtothewell-beingofthebasins,ecosystems,andcommunitiesinwhichthecompanyoperates

    1Unlessotherwisestatedthetermsimpactsandexternal impactsrefertothesignificanteconomic,environ-mentalandsocialeffects,bothpositiveandnegative,ofacompany,itsoperations,orproducts.

    2Foranin-depthdiscussionofwater-relatedbusinessrisksandthebusinesscaseforsustainablecorporatewatermanagement,seetheofficialCEOWaterMandatewebsiteatceowatermandate.org.

  • 9SECTION2AligningDisclosurewithCorporateWaterManagementPractices

    Disclosuresupportsthesegoalsinavarietyofways.Manycompanieshavefoundthatthedisclosureprocessitselfimprovestheirinternalunderstandingofwater-relatedchallengesandcontributestothedevelopmentofeffectiveresponsestrategies.Forthosecompaniesthathavetakensignificantstepstomanagetheirwater-relatedrisksandnegativeimpacts,disclosureprovidesanopportunitytodemonstrateprogressandgoodpracticetobothinternalandexternalstakeholders.Thisinturnhelpscompaniesstrengthentheirbrandvalueandreputation,bolsterstalentrecruitment,andfostersincreasedinvestorconfidence.Corporatewaterdisclosurealsooffersavehicletoestablishadialoguebetweencompaniesandtheirstakeholders.

    Showcasingprogressandarticulatingfuturetargetsandcommitmentsviadisclosure(whileallowingstakeholderstoprovidefeedbackontheseaspects)strengthenscorporateaccountabilityandbuildscredibilitywithemployees,localcommunities,civilsociety,andgovernments.Disclosurecanalsohelpcompaniesholdotherstakeholdersaccountableonwaterissues.Forexample,ifacompanycanshowthatithassignificantlyreduceditswaterdemand,ithasastrongerpositiontocallongovernmentstobettermanagewaterthroughoutabasininsteadoflettingthegovernmentassumethatthecompanysplantorsupplieristheproblem.Developingtrustandaccountabilitywiththesestakeholdersreinforcesacompanyslicensetooperateandservesasastartingpointforpartnershipsandcollectiveactioninsupportofsharedrisksandsustainablewatermanagement.

    Water has been an important part of H&Ms sustainability work for many years. As part of this, our water disclosure work helped us to more accurately identify our compa-nys dependencies on water and the impact we have on freshwater ecosystems, and hence it helped us to address even more of the challenges and opportunities connected to water.

    Helena Helmersson HeaD oF sustainaBilitY, H&m

    Click here

    The water-related interests of different stakeholder groups and potential disclo-

    sure audiences

  • 10 Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines

    HOW DISCLOSURE FITS INTO CORPORATE WATER MANAGEMENT

    Atypicalcorporatewatermanagementcyclefeaturesaseriesofpracticalstepsthatacompanyusesto

    understanditsrelationshipwithwater,undertakeresponsestrategies,andeventuallycommunicate

    bothtostakeholders.Understandingeachstepandthetypeofinformationgeneratedthroughthis

    processallowsformoreeffectivereporting.Thissectiondescribeshowatypicalcorporatewater

    managementcyclealignswiththeDisclosureFrameworkpresentedintheseGuidelines.

    Thoughcorporatewatermanagementprocessesvaryfromcompanytocompany,theycanbe

    generalizedasbeingiterativeandhavingthefollowingfundamentalsteps.Theprocessdepictedbelow

    asanillustrativeexampleisderivedfromtheUNGlobalCompactManagementModel3andadaptedfor

    water-relatedmanagement.

    1. COMMIT. Committodrivesustainablewatermanagement.

    2. ACCOuNT. Collectdataoninternalwaterperformanceandtheconditionofthebasinsinwhichthecompanyoperates.

    3. ASSESS. UsethedatageneratedintheAccountphasetoidentifywater-relatedbusinessrisksandopportunitiesandnegativeimpacts.

    4. DEfINE. Defineandrefinecorporatewaterpolicy,strategies,andperformancetargetsthatdriveperformanceimprovementsandaddressrisksandnegativeimpacts.

    5. IMPlEMENT. Implementwaterstrategiesandpoliciesthroughoutthecompanyandacrossthecompanysvaluechain.

    6. MONITOR. Monitorprogressandchangesinperformanceandbasinconditions.

    7. COMMuNICATE. Communicateprogressandstrategiesandengagewithstakeholdersforcontinuousimprovementbymeansofcorporatewaterdisclosure.(Thisdocumentprovidesaframeworkandguidanceforconductingthisstepinaneffectiveandharmonizedmanner.)

    Thisprocessissequentialanditerativeandmightbeconceptualizedasanupwardspiraldrivingamindsetofcontinuousimprovement.Italsoincludestwoongoingactionsthatreinforceeachofthesevensteps.First,acompanycontinuallyengageswithkeystakeholdersinordertobetterunderstanditswater-relatedrisksandimpactsandreceiveinputontheefficacyofitspoliciesandresponsestrategies.Second,acompanycontinuallyassessestherelevanceofvariouswater-relatedissuestounderstandnewtrendsandconditionsandidentifytheissuesofhighestpriorityforthebusinessanditsstakeholders.TheprocessofassessingrelevanceisdiscussedindetailinSection4.

    Figure2showshowthismanagementcyclefitswiththeDisclosureFramework.

    3UNGlobalCompact,UN Global Compact Management Model,2010.

  • 11SECTION2AligningDisclosurewithCorporateWaterManagementPractices

    FiGure 2: A Corporate Water Management Cycle and Its Relation to the Disclosure Framework

    Current State Context Performance Compliance

    Implications Business risks Business opportunities External impactsCross-cutting themes

    Connections between sections and subsections Linkages across sustainability issues

    Response Policies, governance and targets Internal actions External engagement

    Communicate

    Commit

    Account

    Assess Define

    Implement

    Monitor

    Ongoing: Determine relevance Engage stakeholders

    NOTE: The UNGC Management Models Measure step has been broken into two components: Measure and Monitor to align more closely with water-specific management processes

    ThisgeneralmanagementcycleincludesallthepracticalandadministrativestepsneededtogeneratethedisclosurecontentdescribedintheDisclosureFramework.IntheAccountphase,companiesquan-tifytheirinternalperformance(e.g.,withdrawals,waterconsumption,waterdischarge)andseektounderstandbasinconditions(e.g.,wateravailability,water quality)tobetterunderstandthecurrentstateoftheirbusinesswithrespecttowater.IntheAssessphase,companiesinterpretthesedatatobet-terunderstandtheimplicationsforbusinessviability(i.e.,risksandopportunities)andthewell-beingofthepeopleandecosystemsthatthebusinesstouches(i.e.,whethertherearenegativeimpactsonbasinconditions).TheDefine,Implement,andMonitorphasesofthemanagementcyclecompriseaseriesofactionswherebycompaniesdevelop,operationalize,andevaluateresponseactions(corporatepoliciesandstrategies,internalactions,andexternalengagements)thataddresstheirwater-relatedrisksandnegativeimpacts.

  • 12 Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines

    THE LONG-TERM CORPORATE WATER MANAGEMENT MATURITY PROGRESSION

    Whilethemanagementcycleofferedintheprevioussectiondescribesthevariouspracticalstepsthatcompaniesconductaspartoftheirbroadercorporatewatermanagementprocesses,itdoesnotspeaktohowwatermanagementpracticesevolveandmatureoverthelongterm.

    Forexample,thosecompaniesjustbeginningtoprioritizewaterissuesoftenfocusonwatermeasurementandefficiencyprogramswithintheirdirectoperations.Thosewithadvancedwatermanagementprogramsmightaddressawiderarrayofwater-relatedissuessuchasacomprehensivecorporatewaterstrategy,valuechainmanagement,andengagementinsustainablewatermanagementactivitiesoutsidethecompanyfenceline.

    Corporatewatermanagementcangenerallybecategorizedintothefollowingtypesofactivities:

    ProvideWASHservicesintheworkplace4Providingandproperlymaintainingdrinkingwater,sanitation,andhygiene(WASH)servicesintheworkplacesupportsthehealthandwell-beingofacompanysworkers.

    MeasureandmonitorwatermanagementpracticesAnotherearlystepiscontinuouslytrackingtheextenttowhichdirectoperationsuseandaffectwaterresources.Suchmeasurementallowsacompanytoidentifyfacilities(andspecificprocesseswithinfacilities)thatrequirepriorityactionandtogaugeprogress.

    DriveoperationalefficiencyandreducepollutionAcompanycanbuildonitsunderstandingofitswatermanagementpracticesbyimplementingwaterefficiencyandpollutionreductionmeasuresthatimproveitsperformanceandbegintomanageitsrisksandnegativeimpacts.

    4TheWorldBusinessCouncilforSustainableDevelopmentsWASHattheWorkplacewebsiteprovidesavarietyofresourcesthathelpcompa-niesensuretheyprovidesufficientWASHservicesintheiroperations.

    Over the years, we have etablished a robust mechnism for annual water disclosure, which not only help us to abide with our comitment of transparency to the CEO Water Mandate but also enables us to identify gaps, explore possibili-ties of improvement and devise mechanisms for intra-company competi-tion to achieve water use efficiency.

    aJit GulaBCHanD CHairman anD manaGinG DireCtor, HinDustan ConstruCtion CompanY

  • 13

    Identifyandunderstandwater-stressedandhigh-riskbasins Tofullyunderstandandaddressitsbusinessrisksandimpactsandproperlyprioritizeactionamongdifferentgeographicareas,acompanymusthaveafirmunderstandingofthecontextsinwhichitoperates.Inparticular,itidentifiesandinvestigatesthoseareasthatareexperiencingwater stressormightotherwisebeconsideredhigh-risk.Thisknowledgeistypicallygainedthroughinternaldatacollectionandassessmentandtheuseofthird-partydatasetsandtools.

    IntegratewatermanagementintobusinessstrategyAnuancedunderstandingofriverbasinsandthecompanysownoperationswithinthempositionsacompanytobecomestrategicaboutdevelopingpoliciesandprogramstoaddressitstopwaterpriorities.Comprehensivestrategiesareintegrallylinkedtocorebusinessandlong-termbusinesssuccess.Strategydevelopmentcanincludemanydimensions,suchasestablishingcorporategovernanceandaccountabilitymechanisms,settinggoals,anddefiningawatermanagementphilosophy.

    LeverageimprovedpracticesthroughoutthevaluechainMorematurecompanieslookbeyondtheirdirectoperationstoaddresswaterrisksandnegativeimpactsinthevaluechain.Inordertoaddressthoserisksandopportunities,acompanyassessesvaluechainexposuretowater risktoconsidertheimpactsitsproductsmayhaveonwaterresourcesandhowitssuppliersareaffectedbyandcontributetowater-relatedchallenges.Acompanythenusesitsinfluencetodriveimprovedpracticesthroughoutthevaluechain.

    Advancesustainablewatermanagementandengageincollectiveaction5Acompanywiththemostadvancedwatermanagementpracticesmaylooktoengageexternallytoensurelong-termbusinesscontinuitybycontributingtothesustainablemanagementofsharedwaterresourcesonwhichthecompanyrelies.Suchplace-basedexternal

    5TheCEOWaterMandates2010publicationGuide to Responsible Business Engagement with Water Policy offersdetailedguidanceonhowcompaniescanbestengagewithgovernmentsandotherstoadvancesustainablewatermanagement.

    Water shortages and poor water quality can cause pro-duction shortfalls, price vol-atility, higher energy costs, regulatory action, competition and social unrest. Because of these material risks, Calvert expects companies we own to measure, mitigate and dis-close information about their water risks and water man-agement strategies. Corpo-rate water disclosure allows Calvert to assess how well a potential investment is posi-tioned for sustainable growth and responsible business and in turn, aides Calvert in offer-ing our investors responsible investment opportunities.

    BarBara J. krumsiek, presiDent, Ceo, anD CHair oF CalVert inVestments, inC.

  • 14 Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines

    engagementoccursinavarietyofforms,rangingfrominformationsharing,tocommunityengagementandbasin-restorationprojects,toworkingwithlocalandregionalgovernmentstostrengthenthelocalwatermanagementcapacity.Inmostcases,thisrequirescollaborationwithotherorganizationsandactors(i.e.,collectiveaction),exposingthecompanytocomplexdependenciesandincreasedexpectations.

    HOW DISCLOSURE FITS WITH CORPORATE WATER MANAGEMENT MATURITY

    Ideally,companiesworktoadvanceallseventypesofwatermanagementactivitiesconcurrently.However,duetothecomplexityofaccountingforandmanagingwaterandthefactthatformanycompanieswaterhasonlyrecentlyemergedasahigh-prioritycorporatesustainabilityissue,manycompaniescurrentlypursueonlyoneortwoactivities.

    Sincewatermanagementactivitiesdifferwithrespecttotimeandresourcecommitments,aswellaslevelofcomplexityanddifficulty,companiestendtopursuetheminasimilarorder(thoughthiscanvaryfromcompanytocompanywithinandamongindustrysectors).Forexample,improvedoperationalperformanceistypicallyaprerequisiteforeffectivecollectiveaction.

    Thematurityofacompanyswatermanagementpracticeisdirectlyrelatedtothematurityandcomprehensivenessofitscorporate water disclosure.Asthecompanyexpandsitswatermanagementactivitiestoaddressawiderrangeofrisksandimpacts,thescopeofitsdisclosurepracticeexpandsaswell.Thus,ifacompanyidentifieswhereitresidesonthisprogression,italsogainsinsightintothetypesofinformationthatitisabletoreportrobustly,aswellashowitswatermanagementanddisclosurepracticemightexpandovertime.6Figure3showshowthetypesofmanagementactivitiesdescribedabovealignwithandlinktothevarioussubsectionsoftheDisclosureFramework.

    6CDPprovidesaWaterReportingRoadmapthattracksthematurityofcorporatedisclosurerela-tivetoinformationbeingreported.

    Click here

    linking the Disclosure

    framework to the Mandates

    Six Elements

  • 15SECTION2AligningDisclosurewithCorporateWaterManagementPractices

    FiGure 3: Linking Corporate Water Management Maturity and the Disclosure Framework

    Context

    External impacts

    Policies, governance &

    targets

    External engagement

    Business risks

    Performance

    Internal actions

    Compliance Business

    opportunities

    Business risksBus. opportunitiesExternal Impacts

    (Value chain)

    Internal actions(Value chain)

    PerformanceCompliance (Value chain)

    Provide WASH services in the

    workplace

    Identify and understand

    water-stressedand high-risk basins

    Integrate watermanagement intobusiness strategy

    Leverage improvedperformance in the

    value chain

    Advance sustainablewater management

    and collective action

    Measure and monitorwater management

    practices

    Drive operationalefficiency and

    reduce pollution

    Through regular and open disclosure, common goals can be estab-lished for shared rewards. Molson Coors believes that disclosure around our water use is imperative in order to provide a collective understanding and approach to effective water stewardship in the communities where we operate. We continue to realize the direct benefits of disclosure, through risk reduction, cost savings and water quality improvements, and together with positive community engagement, education and outreach, water stakeholders within our brewing and supplier communities benefit.

    peter sWinBurn, Ceo, molson Coors BreWinG CompanY

  • 16 Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines

    SECTION 3 Company Waterprofile

  • 17SECTION3CompanyWaterProfile

    SECTION 3 Company Water profile

    AkeyaspectoftheDisclosureFrameworkistheCompanyWaterProfile,ahigh-leveloverviewofacompanyswaterissuesandmanagementefforts.Inessence,theprofileprovidesanexecutivesummarythat,duetoitsbrevity(oneortwopages),addscontextandmeaningtothewiderarrayofmoredetailedwater-relatedinformationthatthecompanyoffers.Profilesaredesignedtoofferasnapshotofwaterperformance,risks,impacts,andresponsestrategiesthatnontechnicalaudiencescaneasilyunderstand.Forsomecompanies,particularlySMEsorthoseforwhichwaterisonlymarginallysignificant,theprofilemayconstitutetheonlywater-relatedinformationdisclosed.

    CompanyWaterProfileswillvarywithrespecttolengthandsophisticationdependingonthematurityofacompanyswatermanagement;however,aprofileshouldbebriefandincludethefollowingbasicinformationregardingthefollowingcomponents:

    ThecompanysinteractionswithwaterCompaniesdescribegenerallyhowtheyutilizewaterresources(e.g.,theiroperationalusesforwater,thenatureoftheirwater discharge,theimportanceofwatertothevaluechain,thewateruseoftheirproducts).Ultimately,readersshouldcomeawaywithaclearideaofhowthecompanyutilizeswaterresourcesandwhyandtowhatextentwaterisimportantforbusinessviability.

    ThecompanyswaterchallengesandopportunitiesCompaniesthenprovideahigh-leveldiscussionoftheopportunitiesandchallengesthatwaterposestothebusinessandtheextenttowhichwater-relatedissuesarerelevantforthecompanygenerally.Thisdiscussionsynthesizesinformationabouthowthecompanyuseswaterwithadiscussionofglobalwatertrendsandspecificbasinconditionsinordertoprovideanoverviewofthecompanyswater-relatedbusinessrisks,opportunities,andimpacts.

    ThecompanyscommitmentandresponseAprofilecanalsosummarizethestepsthecompanyistakingtoaddresswater-relatedrisksandimpactsandtoseizewater-relatedopportunities.Suchasummarycantouchuponmanyissues,rangingfromahigh-levelcommitmenttowatersustainabilitytospecificcompanypoliciesandstrategies.Profileswillvarydependingonthematurityofthemanagementpractices.Somecompaniesmaychoosetosituatethematurityoftheirwatermanagementpracticewithinabroadercontinuumandarticulatehowtheyanticipatetheirstrategiesandprogramswillgrowandevolveovertime.

    Click here

    Example of an effective Company

    Water Profile

  • 18 Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines

    ProfilemetricsthatprovideasummaryofcompanywidewaterperformanceandriskAprofileoffersachancetoprovideaquantitativesnapshotofcompanywidewater-relatedperformanceandrisk.Todoso,thecompanydemonstratesitsperformanceovertimewithrespecttotheprofilemetrics:

    1) Totalandpercentageofwithdrawalslocatedinwater-stressedorwater-scarceareas2) Percentoffacilitieswithawater-relatedregulatorycompliance violation3) Percentoffacilitiesadheringtorelevantwater qualitystandards4) Averagewater intensityinwater-stressedorwater-scarceareas(asappropriate)7

    Ideally,acompanywilldisplaynumerousyearsofdataforthesemetrics(inchartortabularformat)inordertodemonstrateperformanceovertime,usingabase yeartotrackprogress.Thearticulationoftargetsforoneormoreofthemetricscanalsoservetoreinforcerelevantpolicycommitmentsandstrategies.

    ComparabilityInsomeinstances,itmaybeappropriatetomakecomparisonsofprofilemetricsandotherdataacrosscompanies,especiallyforcompanieswithinthesameindustrysector.However,companiesandtheirstakeholdersshouldbecautiouswhendoingso.Companyresultsmayvary,andthusnotbecomparablewiththoseofothercompanies,duetothedatasetsandtoolstheyusetoassessconceptssuchaswater stress.Furthermore,metricsrelatedtowaterintensity,thoughhelpfulfortrackingacompanysprogressovertime,maynotbefitforcomparisonacrosscompaniesduetodifferenttypesofproductsthatinherentlyrequiredifferentvolumesofwater.Otherreasonsprofilemetricsmaynotbecomparablebetweencompaniesisthattheydependonreport boundaries.Forexample,datafromaverticallyintegratedcompanyandacompanywhoseoperationspertaintoonlyonevaluechainsegmentarenotcomparable.TheseGuidelinessupporttheapproachtothereportingboundariesoutlinedintheGreenhouseGasProtocol,whichdoesnotspecifyasinglemethodologybutratherdescribestwocommonapproaches(operationalandorganizationalboundaries).8Thecredibilityofcomparisonsisenhancedwhenreporteddataareindependentlyverified.9

    AlistofhotspotswhererisksandimpactsaremostlikelyLastly,profilesallowcompaniestoshedlightonthewater-stressedandhigh-risklocations(orhot spots)wheretheyaremostlikelytoexperiencewater risksorcreatenegativeimpacts.Ideally,acompanywillprovidealistofwater-stressed(orotherwisehigh-risk)basinswhereithasoperations.TheContextsubsectionofSection5offersguidanceonhowcompaniescanconductabasicassessmentofhotspots.

    ACompanyWaterProfilecanserveseveralfunctionsandcanbepresentedinnumerousformats,includingthefollowing:

    Theexecutivesummaryofawater-specificsustainabilityreport Awater-relatedsummaryinshortsustainabilityreports Apageinthecompanywebsite Partoftheannualreport

    7Water-intensitymetricsmaynotbeusefulorappropriateforallcompaniesandindustrysectors.

    8WorldResourcesInstitute(WRI)andWorldBusinessCouncilonSustainableDevelopment(WBCSD),The Greenhouse Gas Protocol: A Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard,rev.ed.,2004.

    9TheEuropeanUnionsGuidance for the implementation of the EU Organisation Environmental Footprint (OEF) during the Environmental Footprint (EF) Pilot Phaseprovidesfurtherinstructionfordataverificationandhowitcanbeappliedforcomparabilitypurposes.

    Click here

    Guidance on How to Measure and Re-port Profile Metrics

  • 19SECTION3CompanyWaterProfile

    SECTION 4 Defining What to report

  • 20 Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines

    SECTION 4 Defining What to report

    Companiescanreportonavastrangeofsustainabilitytopics(useofwater,energy,andland;waste;greenhousegasemissions,andsoon).Evenwithintherealmofwater,numerousissuesaffect,andareaffectedby,companiestovaryingdegrees,dependingonthegeographiclocation,industrysector,andothercircumstances.Tobeeffectiveinitsreporting,acompanymustdeterminewhichwater-relatedtopics(e.g.,water scarcity,poorambientwater quality,inadequateaccesstodrinkingwaterorsanitation,flooding)aremostimportanttoitsstakeholders,whichtopicshave(ormayhave)significantimpactsonpeopleandecosystems,andwhichhavethepotentialtogeneraterisksoropportunitiesforthebusiness.

    Thissectionprovidesguidanceonhowacompanycandefinewhichwater-relatedtopicsandinformationitshoulddisclose,aswellashowitcaneffectivelycommunicatethisprocessanditsoutcomes.

    RELEVANCE AND MATERIALITY: WHAT ARE THEY?10

    Insustainabilityreporting,materialityiscommonlythoughtofasathresholdatwhichcertainsustainabilitytopicsbecomerelevantenoughforacompanytoreporton.TheGlobalReportingInitiative(GRI)definesmaterialtopicsasthosethat:

    Reflectthecompanyssignificanteconomic,environmentalandsocialimpactsor

    Substantivelyinfluencetheassessmentsanddecisionsofstakeholders (suchasemployees,investors,suppliers,localcommunities,governments,investors,orconsumers)

    Thesematerialtopicsoftenhaveasignificantfinancialimpactintheshorttermorlongtermonacompany.Theyarethereforealsorelevantforstakeholderswhofocusstrictlyonthefinancialconditionofacompany.

    Materialityandrelevanceareoftenusedinterchangeably.However,theyaretwodistincttermswhosesubtledifferencesarecriticaltocompaniesseekingtodefinewhichcontenttoreport:

    Relevanttopicsarethosethatmayreasonablybeconsideredimportantforreflectingthecompanyseconomic,environmentalandsocialimpacts,orinfluencingthedecisionsofstakeholders.Theythereforepotentially,butnotnecessarily,meritdisclosure.

    Materialtopicsarethesubsetofrelevanttopicsthatareultimatelydeterminedtobesufficientlysignificanttoreporton.

    Bothterms,withinthecontextofsustainabilityreporting,inherentlyrequiresomesubjectivejudgments.Reportingcompaniesshouldbetransparentaboutthesejudgments.

    10Formoredetailedguidanceondefiningreportcontentforasustainabilityreport,seetheGlobalReportingIni-tiative(GRI)SustainabilityReportingGuidelines(G4)(pages31-40oftheG4 Implementation Manual).GuidanceinthissectionisdrawnheavilyfromtheprocessoutlinedintheG4Guidelines.

  • 21SECTION4DefiningWhattoReport

    ASSESSING RELEVANCE AND MATERIALITY FOR WATER- RELATED TOPICS

    Theprocessofdeterminingacompanysmaterialwater-relatedtopics,andtherebydefiningwhichwater-relatedinformationshouldbereported,hasthreekeysteps:

    1) Identifyingalistofrelevantwater-relatedtopicsbasedonthecompanysrisks,opportunities,andimpactsonpeopleandecosystems,andinwhatlocationsinthecompanyandinthevaluechainthesetopicsarerelevant

    2) Prioritizingtherelevantwater-relatedtopicsbasedonanassessmentofthesignificanceoftherisks,opportunities,andimpactstheyposeandtheviewsexpressedbystakeholders

    3) Validatingtheoutcomesofthematerialityassessment

    Inaddition,acompanyreviewsitsmaterialityassessmentaspartofeveryreportingandmanagementcycle.Thiswillhelpitcaptureongoingchangesinglobalwaterchallenges,specificbasinconditions,stakeholderexpectationsandpriorities,andhowandwherethecompanyoperates.

    Thisprocessisunderpinnedbyanongoingstakeholderengagementthatallowsthecompanytoidentifyemergingwater-relatedtopicsandtobetterunderstanditswater-relatedrisks,opportunities,andimpacts.Acompanymaywishtointegratewaterintoitsbroadermaterialityassessmentforsustainabilitytopicsorundertakeanin-depthmaterialityassessmentfocusedspecificallyonwater-relatedtopics.Whichevermethodisused,acompanyshouldensurethatitdoesnotassesswaterinisolationfromothersustainabilitytopics,becauseitmayfailtoidentifyrelevantlinkagesandtrade-offsbetweenwaterandothersustainabilityissues.TheGRIG4Guidelinesdescribeagenericprocessfordefiningacompanyssetofmaterialsustainabilitytopicstobemanagedandreported.

    STEP1:IDENTIFyINGRELEVANTWATER-RELATEDTOPICS

    1.1 Determining reporting boundaries for water

    Asafirststep,acompanydeterminestherangeofentitiestobeincludedintherelevanceandmaterialityassessment.Basicdisclosersprovideinformationfortheentitiestheyownorcontrol(thosetypicallyincludedinitsconsolidatedfinancialstatements,suchassubsidiariesorjointventures).Advancedwaterdisclosers,inadditionandseparately,provideinformationforoutsideentitiesinthevaluechain(e.g.suppliers)wheretherearesignificantrisks,opportunities,orimpacts.

    Thereareseveralmethodologiesavailablefordefiningtheboundaryofatopicforreportingpurposes,notablythosesuggestedbytheGHGProtocolandtheGRIG4Guidelines.

  • 22 Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines

    1.2 Assessing whether water is a relevant sustainability topic

    Next,companiesassesswhetherwaterisgenerallyarelevantsustainabilitytopic.Companiestypicallyconsiderthegeneralexposureoftheirindustrysectortowater-relatedrisksandthelikelihoodthattheywillcreatenegativewater-relatedimpacts.Thentheyassesstheriskexposureandlikelihoodofcreatingnegativeimpactsinthespecificbasinsinwhichtheyoperate.11Table1,thoughlikelynotcomprehensive,offersanoverviewofindustrysectorstypicallyexposedtosignificantwater-relatedbusinessrisksduetothenatureoftheirwateruse.

    taBle 1: Industry Sectors with High and Medium Exposure to Water-Related Risks

    Agriculture

    Beverage producers

    Biomass power production

    Chemicals

    Clothing & apparel

    Electric power production

    Food producers

    Food retailers

    Forestry & paper

    Freshwater fishing & aquaculture

    Hydropower production

    Mining

    Oil & gas

    Pharmaceuticals & biotech

    Technology hardware & equipment, semiconductors

    Water utilities and services

    Construction & materials

    Gas distribution & multi-utilities

    Manufacturing of industrialhousehold goods, home construction, leisure goods

    Media (printed)

    Real estate (asset owners)

    Transportation

    Travel & leisure

    HIGH PRIORITY MEDIUM PRIORITY

    Source:Ceres.TheCeresAquaGauge:AFrameworkfor21stCenturyWaterRiskManagement,2011.

    11Avarietyoftoolsareavailableforsuchanassessment.TheCeresAquaGaugefeaturesalistofhigh-andmedi-um-riskbasins,whiletheWBCSDGlobalWaterTool,WWF-DEGWaterRiskFilter,andWRIAqueductWaterRiskAt-lasalloffermethodsbywhichcompaniescanassesswaterstressandwaterriskatahigh-level.TheGEMILocalWaterToolandWFNWaterFootprintAssessmentTooloffermoregranularassessmentsofwaterstress.Moreinformationonallofthesetoolscanbefoundinontheweb-basedversionoftheGuidelines.

  • 23SECTION4DefiningWhattoReport

    Afterthishigh-levelassessmentofwater risksbasedonindustrysectorandbasinconditions,companiescanlocatethemselvesonthematrixinFigure4.

    FiGure 4: Measuring Relative Exposure to Water Risk and Impacts

    Low Medium High

    SECTOR

    BASIN

    High

    Medium

    Low

    CompaniesthatfallintheredareaswillbenefitfrommanagingwaterinarobustmannerandreportingonwaterinadetailedmannerasdescribedinSection5oftheseGuidelines.Thosethatfallintheorangeareaswillcertainlywanttoconsidertheirwater-relatedchallengesandseek,ataminimum,toprioritizereportingtheinformationdescribedinSection3:CompanyWaterProfile.

    Acompanymayalsoassesswaterasarelevanttopicifithasidentifiedopportunitiestodrivepositivebusinessvalueorgeneratepositivewater-relatedimpactsforpeopleandecosystems.

    1.3 Identifying specific water-related topics to report

    Reportingcompaniesthenseektodeterminewhichspecificwater-relatedtopicsareofparticularrelevancebyassessingthecompanyswater-relatedrisks,opportunities,andimpactsonpeopleandecosystems.Atthislevelofassessment,acompanyconsidersatleastthefollowingbroadconsiderations:

    ItsimpactsonwaterresourcesandaccesstoWASHservices

    Businessrisksstemmingfrombasinconditions(e.g.,waterscarcity,pollution,regulatoryuncertainty,etc.)

    Opportunitiestocontributetosustainablewatermanagement

    Opportunitiestoadapttoensuingchangesinbasinconditions(e.g.,climatechangeorlanduse)andplannedchangesinpoliciesandregulatoryframeworks

  • 24 Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines

    Potentialglobal-,regional-,andbasin-levelwater-relatedtopicsthatmightbeconsideredpartoftheidentificationstepinclude,butarenotlimitedto:

    Waterscarcityandwaterstress

    Poorambientwater quality

    Regulatoryuncertainty

    Insufficientinfrastructure

    InadequateaccesstowaterandWASHservices

    Drought

    Flooding

    Climatechange

    Changingdemographics

    Limitedmanagementcapacity

    Ecosystemvulnerability

    Totalbasinavailability

    Supplyvariability

    Culturalandreligiousvalues

    Mediaawareness

    STEP2:PRIORITIZINGRELEVANTWATER-RELATEDTOPICS

    InStep2,acompanyprioritizesthewater-relatedtopicsidentifiedinStep1todevelopalistofmaterialtopicstobereported.Fundamentaltothisstepisassessingthesignificanceoftherisks,opportunities,andimpactsassociatedwiththetopicsidentifiedinStep1.Next,thecompanymustdeterminetheinfluencethatthesetopicsmayhaveonstakeholdersassessmentsanddecisions.Dependingontheirsignificance,topicsareconsideredmaterialregardlessofthecompanysabilitytoeffectivelymanagethem.

    Whenassessingthesignificance of the risks, opportunities, and impacts associatedwithaspecificwater-relatedtopictothebusinessitselfandtosustainabledevelopmentgenerally,acompanyasksthefollowingquestions:12

    Whatisthelikelihoodandseverityoftheimpacts?

    Doesthistopiccompromisethecompanyslicensetooperateinaspecificlocation?

    Mightthistrendorconditioneventuallydisruptthecompanysoperationsoritsvaluechain?

    Isthereanopportunitytogaincompetitiveadvantagethroughactioninthisarea?

    Mightactioninthisareafurtherassureinvestorsandmarketsthatbusinessoperationswillcontinuetobeprofitable?

    Doesthistopiccompromisethecompanysabilitytoupholditsownvaluesandethics?

    12Formoreguidanceonanalyzingthesignificanceofacompanysimpactsrelatedtoatopic,seetheGRIG4Guidelines(pages3637oftheG4 Implementation Manual).

  • 25SECTION4DefiningWhattoReport

    Whenassessingaspecificwater-relatedtopicsinfluence on stakeholder assessments and decisions,thecompanyproactivelyengageswithstakeholderssothattheycanarticulatetheirinterestsandvalues,theirperceptionsofthecompanysimpactonthatstakeholdergroup,ortheirexpectationsregardingthecompanysresponsetothattopic.13

    Aftercompletingthistwofoldanalysis,acompanycanthendeterminewhichspecificwater-relatedtopicsarematerial.ThematrixinFigure5maybeusefultovisuallyrepresentthesignificanceofeachtopic.Acompanyplotswater-relatedtopicsrelativetooneanotherwithrespecttothesignificanceoftherisks,opportunities,andimpactsandtheirinfluenceonstakeholderassessmentsanddecisions.Then,inordertodeterminewhichspecificwater-relatedtopicsarematerial,acompanydefinesthethresholdsandunderlyingcriteria(depictedbytheredlineintheexampleinFigure5)thatrenderatopicmaterial.Topicsthatexceedthesignificancethresholdsetbythecompanyarematerial.Atopicdoesnothavetobehighlysignificantinbothviewpointstobedeemedmaterial.Highsignificancewithinoneviewpointismoreimportantthanconvergencebetweenthedifferentviewpoints.

    FiGure 5: Visual Example of Prioritization of Topics

    Significance of the risks, opportunities, and impacts

    Significance

    Infl

    uen

    ce o

    n s

    tak

    e h

    old

    er

    asse

    sssm

    ents

    an

    d d

    ecis

    ion

    s

    Onceacompanyhasidentifieditsmaterialwater-relatedtopics,itthendeterminesthelevelofreportingcoverageeachoneshouldreceive.Thisreferstotheprominence,amountofdata,andnarrativeexplanationdisclosedforeachmaterialtopic.

    13Formoreguidanceonanalyzingtheinfluenceonstakeholderassessmentsanddecisionsofasustain-abilitytopic,seetheGlobalReportingInitiative(GRI)G4Guidelines(page36oftheG4 Implementation Manual).

  • 26 Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines

    STEP3:VALIDATINGTHEOUTCOMESOFTHEMATERIALITyASSESSMENT

    Inthethirdstep,thecompanyensuresthatthefinalselectionofmaterialwater-relatedtopicsprovidesareasonableandbalancedrepresentationofthecompanyssignificantwater-relatedrisks,opportunities,andimpacts.Todoso,thecompanyassessestheproposedlistofmaterialwater-relatedtopicsagainst:

    ScopeAreallsignificantwater-relatedrisks,opportunities,andimpactscovered?

    BoundaryHasthecompanyconsideredsignificantrisks,opportunities,andimpactsinentitiesbothwithinthecompanyandthroughoutitsvaluechain?

    TimeDoestheselectedinformationcovertheentirereporting period?

    STEP4:REVIEW

    Asthecompanyispreparingforitsnextreportingandmanagementcycle,itreviewsitsmaterialityassessmentinordertocaptureongoingchangesinglobalwaterchallenges,specificbasinconditions,stakeholderexpectationsandpriorities,andhowandwherethecompanyoperates.

    COMMUNICATING THE PROCESS FOR DEFINING WHAT TO REPORT

    Providingadescriptionofthematerialityassessmentprocessitselfallowsreaderstobetterunderstandandevaluatewhetherthecompanyismanagingandreportingthemostimportantwater-relatedtopics.Reportingwater-relatedmaterialityassessmentscomprisesthreemaincomponents:

    Howimportantwateristothecompany(relativetoothersustainabilitytopics)

    Howwater-relatedtopicshavebeenprioritized

    Howstakeholderengagementinformedthematerialityassessmentprocess

    REPORTINGHOWIMPORTANTWATERISTOTHECOMPANy

    ThematrixprovidedinFigure3isausefultoolforillustratingtheimportanceofwatertothebusiness.Thematrixcanbesupplementedbyadescriptionoftheindustrysrelativeexposuretowater-relatedrisks.Itcanalsoprovideadiscussionofanywaterchallengesfacingtheregionsinwhichthecompany(oranyotherentitiesincludedwithinthereportingboundary)hasoperations.

    ThematrixinFigure4canalsobeusedtodepictthecompanysoverallmaterialityassessmentforsustainabilitytopicsandtoshowhowimportantwateristothecompanyrelativetoothersustainabilitytopics.14

    14SeetheGRIG4Guidelines(page37oftheG4ImplementationManual).

  • 27SECTION4DefiningWhattoReport

    REPORTINGHOWWATER-RELATEDTOPICSHAVEBEENPRIORITIZED

    Next,acompanyindicateswhichspecificwater-relatedtopicsweredeemedmaterialandwhichofthosearemostimportant.Todoso,thecompanymaychoosetopublishthematrixshowninFigure4.Thismatrixprovidesavisualrepresentationofhowwater-relatedtopicshavebeenassessedbasedonthesignificanceoftheirrisks,opportunities,andimpacts,andtheirinfluenceonstakeholderassessmentsanddecisions.

    Inaddition,thecompanycanprovideatable(foranexampleseeTable2)thatliststhematerialwater-relatedtopics,inorderofreportingpriority,andbrieflydescribe:

    1) Thecompanyentities(e.g.,subsidiaries,jointventures)orentitiesinthevaluechain(e.g.,suppliers)thatfacesignificantrisks,opportunities,orimpactsrelatedtothetopic

    2) Thegeographicorgeopoliticalarea(s)wherethetopicinquestionismaterial3) Thesignificantrisks,opportunities,andimpactsrelatedtothetopic4) Stakeholdersforwhomthetopicisimportant5) Theextenttowhichthecompanycaninfluencetherisks,opportunities,andimpacts

    relatedtothetopic6) Wherethetopicisreported(e.g.,aspecificpageinthecompanyssustainabilityreportor

    onitswebsite)

    taBle 2: Example of Material Topics List

    Material Topic

    Company or Value Chain

    Entities

    Geographic/ Geopolitical

    Area(s)

    Risks, Opportunities, Impacts Related to

    the Topic

    Stakeholder Interest

    Companys Ability to Influence

    Reporting Location

    Thoughallmaterialtopicsshouldbereportedregardlessofwhetherthecompanyisactivelymanagingthem,companiesarelikelytoreportmoredetailedinformationfortopicstowhichtheyareactivelyresponding.Forexample,acompanymaydeembothwater scarcityandlimitedmanagementcapacityasmaterialtopics,butbemoreequippedtoaddresswaterscarcity.Inthiscase,thecompanywouldreportbothtopicsasmaterial,butaddresswaterscarcity(anditsassociatedresponses)inmoredetail.TheCorporateWaterManagementMaturityProgression(seeFigure3)isahelpfultoolinidentifyingandcommunicatingwhichtopicsthecompanymaybemostequippedtomanageandreportindetail.Atthesametime,theMaturityProgressionoffersinsightintowhatadditionalmanagementpracticesthecompanycanimplementinthenextreportingcycletobetteraddressmaterialtopicsitiscurrentlynotequippedtomanageandreportrobustly.

    Company Information Here

  • 28 Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines

    Reportingthematerialityassessmentprocessisinherentlylinkedtoreportingsignificant

    risks,opportunities,andimpacts,asdescribedintheImplicationsdiscussioninSection5of

    theseGuidelines.InSection4,thecompanyreportstheprocessfordeterminingrelevance

    andmaterialityandprovidesahigh-leveldescriptionofthesignificantrisks,opportunities,and

    impactsrelatedtoeachmaterialtopic.InSection5,thecompanydescribesin detailthenature

    ofthesignificantrisks,opportunities,andimpactsidentifiedinthematerialityassessment.

    REPORTINGHOWSTAKEHOLDERENGAGEMENTINFORMEDTHEMATE-RIALITyASSESSMENT

    Finally,acompanyexplainshowitengagedstakeholderstosupportthemateriality

    assessmentprocess.Specifically,thecompanydescribeswhichspecificstakeholdergroups

    wereengaged,howthiswasdone(e.g.,throughlocalwaterforums,unsolicitedmessages,

    workinggroups,etc.),andwhatthekeyoutcomesofthatengagementwereandhow

    thecompanyaddressedthem.Thecompanycanalsoreportthelessonslearnedandthe

    stakeholderengagementplanforthenextreportingcycle.

  • 29SECTION4DefiningWhattoReport

    SECTION 5 Detailed Disclosure

  • 30 Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines

    SECTION 5 Detailed Disclosure

    UNDERSTANDING AND LINKING COMPONENTS OF THE FRAMEWORK

    ThissectionprovidesguidanceontheDetailedDisclosurepillaroftheDisclosureFramework.Thispillarcomprisesthe11informationareasthatshouldideallybeaddressedinacompanyswaterdisclosure.Theframeworkisnotintendedtoindicatewhatelementsofcorporatewatermanagementanddisclosurearemostimportantortheorderinwhichcompaniesshouldaddressthem.Rather,itoffersawaytocategorizeandunderstandthemanytypesofwater-relatedinformationthatcompaniesreport.

    FiGure 6: Corporate Water Disclosure Framework

    DETAILED DISCLOSURE

    External impacts

    Policies, governanceand targets

    Current state Implications Response

    Def

    inin

    g W

    ha

    t to

    Rep

    or

    t

    External engagement

    Business risks

    Performance Internal actions

    Compliance

    Context

    Co

    mpa

    ny

    Wa

    ter

    Pr

    ofi

    le

    Business opportunities

    Linkages across sustainability issues (e.g., food, energy)

    Connections between sections and subsections

    BASICANDADVANCEDREPORTING

    Theguidanceprovidedinthissectionisdividedintobasicandadvancedpractices.Whilebasicpracticeprovidesagoodstartingpointforcompanieswithlimitedexperienceinwatermanagement,advancedpracticerepresentsthefullrangeofinformationthatcompaniesideallyreport.However,somecompanies,dependingontheirsizeandtheimportanceofwatertothebusinessandstakeholders,maynotdeemitnecessaryorvaluabletoimplementthisfullrangeofpractices.

    Advancedpracticesareinclusiveofbasicpractices.Inotherwords,advancedreportersdisclosepracticeslistedinbothbasicandadvancedcategories.Somecompanies,particularlySMEsorthoseforwhichwaterisonlymarginallysignificant,mayopttofocusonreportingtheinformationsuggestedforCompanyWaterProfiles(seeSection3),anddisregardbasicandadvancedpracticesaltogether.Infact,somebasicpracticesareincludedasProfileMetricsinSection3:CompanyWaterProfile.Table3summarizesthebasicandadvanceddisclosurepracticesdiscussedinthissection.

    Click here

    Compilation of Connected

    Reporting Tables

  • 31SECTION5DetailedDisclosure

    taBle 3: Summary of Basic and Advanced Reporting Practices

    SUBSECTION BASIC ADVANCED

    CuRRENT STA

    TE

    ContextHigh-levelassessmentofbasins

    acrossaportfolio

    Detailed,location-specificassessmentofbasinswherewaterchallengesarepronounced

    High-levelassessmentofbasinsinwhichkeyvaluechainactorsarelocated

    Performance

    Totalandpercentageofwithdrawalsinwater-stressedorwater-scarceareas

    Percentoffacilitiesadheringtorelevantwaterqualitystandards

    Averagewaterintensityinwater-stressedorwater-scarceareas(asappropriate)

    PercentoffacilitieswithfullyfunctioningWASHservicesforallworkers

    Location-specificperformancedata:

    - Waterwithdrawalsbysourcetype

    - Waterintensity

    - Waterconsumption

    - Waterdischargebydestinationtype

    - Waterperformanceinthevaluechain

    Compliance Percentoffacilitieswithawater-

    relatedregulatorycomplianceviolation

    Adoptionofinternaland/orvoluntarysustainabilitystandards

    Water-relatedregulatorycomplianceviolationsinthevaluechain

    IMPlICATIONS

    Business risksHigh-levelassessmentofrisksata

    portfoliolevel

    Detailedassessmentofrisksbasedonextensive,location-specificanalysisatthefacilitylevel

    Valuechainrisks

    Business opportunities

    High-levelassessmentofopportunities

    Detailedassessmentofopportunities

    Valuechainopportunities

    External impacts

    N/A(legalcomplianceusedasproxy)

    Impactsonwateravailability,waterquality,andaccesstowaterresourcesandWASHservices(includinghuman-rights-relatedimpacts)

    Prioritizingimpacts

    RESPONSE

    Policies, governance, and targets

    Commitmenttowaterstewardshipandhumanrightstowaterandsanitation

    Goalsandtargets

    Policies,strategies,andgovernance

    Respectingthehumanrightstowaterandsanitation

    Internal actions Improvementsindirectoperations Productinnovation

    Valuechainprioritization,engagement,andimprovements

    External engagement

    Participationinglobalinitiatives

    Consumer/publicengagementandawarenessbuilding

    Policyadvocacy

    Place-basedcollectiveaction

  • 32 Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines

    GEOGRAPHIC/GEOPOLITICALSCALEOFREPORTING

    ManyaspectsofDetailedDisclosurecallforcompaniestoreportactions,risks,impacts,etc.,forspecificgeographicorgeopoliticalregions,asopposedtotheirglobaloperations.Forexample,acompanymightreportthatitfaceswater risk duetoineffectivewatergovernanceinaspecificcountry,orperhapsdiscussthewateruseefficiencyofallitsfacilitiesinaspecificriverbasin.Themostappropriateandhelpfulscaleforaregiondependsonavarietyoffactors,includingtheavailabilityofdata,theintendedaudience,andthenatureofthechallengefacedoractionimplemented.Belowisalistgeographicandgeopoliticalscalesatwhichwater-relatedinformationcanbereportedandadescriptionofwheneachmightbemostappropriateanduseful.

    River basins.Companiesattimesreportattheriver basinlevelwhenawater-relatedchallengeoractionisinresponsetohydrologicalorenvironmentalissuesthatfaceanentireriverbasin.InAppendixC,wedescribeandprovidealinktoaninteractivedatabasethatofferscommonnomenclatureandboundarydelineationsfortheworldsriverbasins.

    Subbasins. Sincewater-relatedchallengescanvarywidelyacrossentireriverbasis,themostinsightfulwater-relatedreportingaggregatesdatabysubbasin.Suchgranularreportingallowsaudiencestounderstandwherespecificallythemostaccuratewater-relatedchallengesareoccurringandhowresponsescanandshouldvaryindifferentpartsofoneriverbasin.

    Aquifers. Attimes,water-relatedchallengesandresponsesarefocusedaroundgroundwatersourcesratherthansurface water.Intheseinstances,companiesmaywanttoreportusingaquiferboundariesasopposedtoriverbasins.

    Geopolitical. Companiescanalsoreportwater-relatedinformationaroundnationalboundaries.Thisisparticularlysalientwhenwater-relatedchallengesareduetogovernanceissuesorpoliticalconflict.Reportingcanalsobedoneatthestate,province,ormunicipalitylevels.

    CONNECTIONSBETWEENSECTIONSANDSUBSECTIONS

    Oneofthemostimportantaspectsofeffectivewaterdisclosurerelatestoacompanysabilitytomakeconnectionsamongtheinformationareas(thesectionsandsubsections)withintheDisclosureFramework.Insomeinstancestheconnectionsareinherentandaremadeautomatically.Forinstance,itisnotpossibleforacompanytomeaningfullyconveybusinessrisksoropportunitieswithoutlinkingbacktothecompanyswaterperformanceandoperatingcontext.Inotherinstances,makingtheconnectionsaddsrelevanceandmeaningtotheinformationprovided.Forinstance,responsestrategiesshouldexplicitlyaddressthewater-relatedrisks,impacts,andopportunitiesthecompanyhasidentifiedasmaterial.

    Throughoutthissection,tableslabeledConnected Reportingprovideexamplesofhowacompanymightdemonstratehowdifferenttypesofwater-relatedinformationrelatetooneanother.

    DETAILED DISCLOSURE

    External impacts

    Policies, governanceand targets

    Current state Implications Response

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    Linkages across sustainability issues (e.g., food, energy)

    Connections between sections and subsections

    Click here

    Interactive Database of the Worlds River

    Basins

  • 33SECTION5DetailedDisclosure

    LINKAGESACROSSSUSTAINABILITyISSUES15

    Thoughpracticeinthisareaisquitenascent,companiesalsoendeavortoconsiderandreportthelinkagesbetweenwaterandothersustainabilitytopics,suchasfoodproduction,energyuse,landuse,andclimatechange.Figure5highlightssomeofthesecorelinkages.

    FiGure 7: The Water-Energy-Food Nexus

    15ResourcesforlearningmoreabouttheseimportantlinkagesincludetheGermangovernmentsWater,Energy,andFoodSecurityResourcePlatform,theWorldEconomicForumsWaterSecurity:TheWater-Energy-Food-ClimateNexusreport,WorldBanksThirstyEnergy,andtheInternationalInstituteforSustainableDevelopmentsreportTheWaterEnergyFoodSecurityNexus:TowardsaPracticalPlanningandDecision-SupportFrameworkforLandscapeInvestmentandRiskManagement.

    DETAILED DISCLOSURE

    External impacts

    Policies, governanceand targets

    Current state Implications Response

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    Compliance

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    Linkages across sustainability issues (e.g., food, energy)

    Connections between sections and subsections

  • 34 Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines

    examples of linkages and trade-offs across sustainability issuesLinkagesandtrade-offsacrosssustainabilityissuespotentiallyaffecteachofthethreemajorsectionsofDetailedDisclosure.Examplesofthepossiblewater-relatedlinkagesandtrade-offscompaniescanreport,dependingontheirrelevancetothecompanyanditsstakeholders,areasfollows:

    1. Current statethe extent to which water-related challenges contribute to other corporate sustainability issues, including: ThewaterusedtogenerateenergyonwhichthecompanyreliesWastewaterdischargeresultingfromthegenerationofenergyonwhichthecompanyrelies

    2. Implicationshow other sustainability challenges may affect the companys ap-proach to water management and corporate risk assessment, including:ThepotentialeffectsofdroughtonacompanysaccesstoenergyThepotentialeffectsoflandusedecisions(e.g.,deforestation,agriculturalpractices)onrunoffandthereforethecompanysaccesstowaterThepotentialeffectsofupstreamagriculturalrunoffonthecompanysaccesstocleanwater

    3. Responsethe suitability and value of water-related response strategies (depending on the extent to which they create undesirable trade-offs):TheenergyrequirementsandgreenhousegasemissionsofwastewatertreatmentandwaterrecyclingsystemsThewateruseimplicationsofdifferentcropsandcropvarietiesTheenergyimplicationsofdifferentirrigationoptionsThewateruseimplicationsofalternativeenergysources

    Theabovelistrepresentsexamplesoflinkagesthatcompaniesmightreport.Formanycompanies,reportingthisfullrangeoflinkagesisneitherpossiblenorappropriate.

    Ataminimum,audiencesshouldunderstandhowwaterisinextricablylinkedtotheseotherchallengesandhowcompaniesmustconsiderwatermanagementinthecontextofothersustainabilityissues.Morerobustreportingmightincludeadescriptionoftheeffectsofsuchlinkagesonwater-relatedbusinessrisksandhowconsiderationsrelatedtosustainabilitytrade-offs16informspecificcorporatestrategies.

    16PwCsTotalImpactMeasurementandManagementframeworkincorporatesnonfinancialconsiderationsintobusi-nessdecisionswhilemodelingtheinherenttrade-offsbetweendifferenttechnologiesandmanagementstrategies.

  • 35SECTION5DetailedDisclosure

    ASSESSING THE CURRENT STATE

    Thissectiondescribestheinformationthatcompaniescanusetoassessandreportthecurrentstateoftheirwatermanagement.Thisinformationspansthreecategories:context,performance,andcompliance.Unlessclearlynotedotherwise,CurrentStatedatashouldbeconsistentwiththereporting periodoftheoveralldisclosuredocument.Companiesalsoconsiderreportinghistoricdatasoastobuildanunderstandingofhowthesituationhaschangedovertime.Disclosingatleastthreeyearsofhistoricdataisnecessarytoallowdisclosureaudiencestomeaningfullyassesstrends.

  • 36 Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines

    OVERVIEW

    Waterisauniquelycomplicatedresourceforcompaniestomanageandreportbecauseitsvalue,availability,andqualityvarysignificantlydependingonlocation.Acriticalcomponentofthewaterdisclosureprocessisassessingandreportinghowlocation-specificfactorsrelatetothebusinessanditsstakeholders.

    Water scarcityandwater stressarethemostcommoncontextualfactorsusedtomeasureacompanyssusceptibilitytowater-relatedbusinessrisksaswellasthelikelihoodofitscreatingnegativeimpactsinaspecificlocation.Thoughavarietyofdefinitionsexist,withinthecontextofcorporatewaterstewardship,17water scarcity referstothevolumetricabundance,orlackthereof,offreshwaterresources.Water stress referstotheability,orlackthereof,tomeetthehumanandecologicaldemandforfreshwater.Stresscomprisesthreeprimarycomponents:availability,quality,andaccessibility.

    Thissectionoffersinsightandresourcesforhowacompanycanassesswater-relatedbasinconditionsandreportthedegreetowhichitoperatesinwater-stressedorhigh-riskareas.Italsodescribesavarietyofcontextualfactorsandbasinconditionsthatcanexposeacompanytowater risksorincreasethelikelihoodofnegativeimpacts.

    Thetablebelowprovidesasummaryofinformationcollectedandassessedatbasicandadvancedlevelsofdisclosurepractice.EachinformationareadiscussedinSection5featuresatablesimilartotheoneonthenextpage.

    CONTENT SCOPE FORMAT

    Basic Profile metric: High-levelassessmentof

    basinsacrossaportfolioCompanywide

    Tabularandnarrative;quantitative

    Advanced (includesbasic

    reporting)

    Detailed,location-specificassessmentofbasinswherewaterchallengesarepronounced

    Location-specific Tabular;quantitative

    High-levelassessmentofbasinsinwhichkeyvaluechainactorsarelocated

    Valuechain Narrative;quantitative

    17AspartofthedevelopmentoftheseGuidelines,theMandateSecretariatcollaboratedwithseveralotherorganiza-tionswithexpertiseincorporatewaterstewardshiptodevelopasharedunderstandingofthetermswater scarcity,water stress,water risk,andwater risk for businesswithinthecontextofcorporatewaterstewardship.AppendixBsummarizestheinitialoutcomesofthisongoingcollaborativeprocess.

    ConteXt

    DETAILED DISCLOSURE

    External impacts

    Policies, governanceand targets

    Current state Implications Response

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    Connections between sections and subsections

  • 37SECTION5DetailedDisclosure

    BASIC

    High-level assessment of basins across a portfolioBasicreportersassessatahighleveltheextenttowhichtheiroperationsarelocatedinwater-stressedorhigh-riskregions.ThisinformationservesasakeycomponentformanyofthecompanywidemetricsdescribedintheensuingPerformancesection.Suchanassessmentalsohelpscompaniesidentifyandreportwater-relatedhot spotswheresustainablewatermanagementpracticesmaybeprioritized.

    Manycompaniesusetheirowninternalknowledgeofthebasinswheretheyoperatetoassesshotspots.Therearealsoanumberofexternaldatasetsthatcanassistcompaniesinthisprocess.Manyareaccessibleandrelevanteventocompanieswithquitelimitedwatermanagementpracticesandwater-relateddata.Somecompaniesmakeuseofthesedatasetstomakethesecalculationsthemselves.Othersusefreeweb-basedtoolsthatusethesedatasetstoconductthesecalculationsforthem;theseinclude

    WBCSDGlobalWaterTool

    WRIAqueductWaterRiskAtlas

    WWF-DEGWaterRiskFilter(QuickView)

    WFNWaterFootprintAssessmentTool

    Whenreportingonthistopic,companiesshouldindicatethespecifictoolormethodologytheyused.

    ForD: sustainaBilitY 2012/13

    Ford used the Global Water Tool developed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) to evaluate which of our operations are projected to be in water-scarce regions by 2025. According to the analysis, approximately 26 percent of our operations are projected to be in such regions (defined as areas of extreme scarcity or scarcity).

    Our facilities in Mexico are located in water-stressed regions; our manufacturing facility in Cuautitlan, Mexico, for example, is already subject to water-withdrawal limitations. Several of our facilities in our Asia Pacific and Africa region are in areas that are currently water-stressed, or are expected to be in the near future.

    Click here

    Overview of assessment tools

    and their underlying methodologies

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    ADVANCED

    Whereasbasicpracticehelpsdeterminewhichbasinsarehot spots,advancedpracticepertainstotheassessmentofandreportingontheconditionsinspecificbasins,especiallyhotspots,tobetterunderstandwhattypesofresponsestrategiesaremoststrategicforeachlocation.Aspartofthisprocess,companiesconsiderawiderangeoffactorsincludingbutnotlimitedtowaterstressthathavebearingontheirexposuretoriskandlikelihoodtocreatenegativeimpactsinaspecificplace.Advancedreportingonthistopicalsoincludesadiscussionofthebasincontextsinwhichkeyvaluechainactorsoperate.

    Detailed, location-specific assessment of basins where water challenges are pronouncedAssessingvariouscontextualfactorsinspecifichotspots

    enablescompaniestoformulateanuanceddepictionoftherisksandimpacts

    inthoseareasandultimatelytodeterminethemostappropriateandeffectiveresponsestrategies.Reportingonthistopicinvolvestwokeyelements:thedriversandtherelativeseverityofkeywater-relatedchallenges.

    DriversAdvanceddisclosersdescribethedriverscontributingtowater-relatedchallengesinthatbasin,potentiallyincluded:

    WaterscarcityandwaterstressPoorambientwater qualityRegulatoryuncertaintyInsufficientinfrastructureInadequateaccesstowaterandWASHservicesDroughtFloodingClimatechangeChangingdemographicsLimitedmanagementcapacityEcosystemvulnerabilityTotal basin availabilitySupplyvariabilityCulturalandreligiousvaluesMediaawareness

    Click here

    Overview of the data-sets and tools that can identify and assess the drivers of water related challenges

  • 39SECTION5DetailedDisclosure

    Severity of challengesInaddition,companiesdescribetheseverityoftheidentifieddrivers.ThistypeofassessmentcanbeconductedusingthedatasetsandtoolsdescribedunderBasicpractice.Additionaltoolsthatinvolveahigherdegreeofsophisticationarealsoavailable,including:

    GEMILocalWaterTool

    WWF-DEGWaterRiskFilter(FullAssessment)

    WFNWaterFootprintAssessmentTool

    High-level assessment of basins in which key value chain actors are locatedAdvancedreporterssharecontextualdatarelatedtokeyvaluechainactors,mostcommonlysuppliers.Companiescandescribeahigh-levelcharacterizationoftheextenttowhichbasinsinwhichkeyvaluechainactorsarelocatedarewaterstressedorotherwiseathighriskbyusingoneoftheonlinetoolslistedaboveoracompanysownproprietaryanalysis.

    Hess Corporation: 2013 Corporate sustainaBilitY report

    Our Seminole Gas Processing (SGP) plant in West Texas is our biggest single water user, accounting for 59 percent of our usage in 2013. The SGP plant uses water mainly for process cooling and sourc-es it from a Hess owned and operated groundwater well field that withdraws from the Ogallala Aquifer.

    SGP is located within a region where baseline water stress is categorized as high risk based on evaluations we have conducted using the World Resources Institutes Aque-duct water risk mapping tool. Water demand in the region is driven primarily by agricultur-al uses.

    Additional Information is available at the Texas Water Development Board website (www.twdb.texas.gov).

  • 40 Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines

    perFormanCe

    OVERVIEW

    Understandingwaterperformance(howmuchwatercompaniesuse,howefficientlytheyuseit,andsoon)helpscompaniesadoptmoresustainablewatermanagementpracticesthatminimizenegativeimpacts(orcreatepositiveimpacts),mitigatewater-relatedbusinessrisks,andcaptureopportunities.Italsoenablesstakeholders tobetterunderstandsuchissuesandtomakedecisionsaccordingly.

    Thissectionprovidesguidancetohelpcompaniesdescribetheirwaterperformanceinquantitative,geographicallyexplicittermsthatallowdisclosureaudiencestounderstandhowacompanywithdraws,consumes,anddischargeswaterresources.Itisdesignedtogohandinhandwiththeprevioussectiononcontext.

    CONTENT SCOPE FORMAT

    Basic

    Profile metric: Waterwithdrawalsinwater-stressedorwater-scarceareas

    Profile metric: Percentoffacilitiesadheringtorelevantwaterqualitystandards

    Profile metric: Averagewaterintensityinwater-stressedorwater-scarceareas(asappropriate)

    PercentoffacilitieswithfullyfunctioningWASHservicesforallworkers

    Companywide

    Tabular;quantitative

    Advanced (includesbasicreporting)

    Waterwithdrawalsbysourcetype

    Waterintensity

    Waterconsumption

    Waterdischargebydestinationtype

    Location-specific

    Waterperformanceinthevaluechain Valuechain

    DETAILED DISCLOSURE

    External impacts

    Policies, governanceand targets

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    Connections between sections and subsections

    Click here

    framework to help companies display this information

  • 41SECTION5DetailedDisclosure

    BASIC

    Companiesrelativelynewtowaterdisclosureshouldfocusoncollectingandreportingcompanywideperformancedataonwater withdrawalsandwater intensityinwater-stressedareas,theirprovisionofWASHservicesintheirdirectoperations,andtheiradherencetorelevantwater qualitystandards.

    Total and percentage of withdrawals located in water-stressed or water-scarce areasCompanywidewaterwithdrawalsareoftenthefirstandonlywatermetricthatcompaniesdisclose.Giventhatwithdrawalswillpresentdifferentrisksandimpactsdependingontheconditionsinwhichtheyoccur,basicdisclosersshouldreportthevolumeandpercentageoftheirwithdrawalsthatoccurinwater-scarceorwater-stressedareas.CompaniescanusetheprocessdescribedaboveintheContextsubsectiontoassesswater scarcityandwater stress.Thesefigurescanprovideadditionalinsightintothecompanysriskwhencomparedwiththeirwaterwithdrawalsoccurringinnon-water-scarceornon-water-stressedareas.Whenable,manycompaniesalsofinditvaluabletoreportwater consumptiondatainadditiontowithdrawalstoprovidefurtherinsightintotheirimpacts.

    Percent of facilities adhering to relevant water quality standardsBecausewaterqualityisinformedandinfluencedbyavarietyofparameters(e.g.,BOD,COD,levelsofphosphorousandheavymetals,temperature,etc.),meaningfulquantificationandreportingonthisissueisoftenelusive.Basicreportersmanagethischallengebyreportingthepercentoftheirfacilitiesadheringtooneofthefollowingtypesofwaterqualitystandardsorbenchmarks:

    Sector-specificindustrialwastewaterstandard

    Internallydevelopedwastewaterqualitystandard

    Universalindustrialwastewaterstandard(notyetdeveloped)

    Primary,secondary,ortertiarytreatment18

    18Wastewatertreatmentisoftencategorizedintothreelevelsofimprovingquality:primary,secondary,andtertiary.TheWorldBankoffersadescriptionoftheselevelsoftreatmenthere.Thisap-proachisoftenhelpfulwhensector-specificorinternallydevelopedstandardsarenotavailable.

    BaXter: 2013 sustainaBilitY report

    Water issues vary signifi-cantly by location. Baxter used the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Global Water Tool in 2012 to evaluate the availabil-ity of renewable water resources at Baxters 51 largest water-consuming locations, which repre-sent more than 96% of the companys total water use. Twelve of those sites are lo-cated in water-scarce* ar-eas, 11 in water-stressed* areas and 28 in water-suf-ficient areas.

    (Availability of renewable water supplies evaluated using the World Business Council for Sustainable Development Global Water Tool. Water-scarce areas have less than 1,000 cubic meters of renewable wa-ter supply per person per year. Water-stressed areas have at least 1,000 cubic meters but less than 1,700 cubic meters. Water-suf-ficient areas have at least 1,700 cubic meters.)

  • 42 Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines

    Doingsoallowsdisclosureaudiencestounderstandtheextenttowhichacompanyistakingactiontominimizepollutionrelatedtountreatedorinsufficientlytreatedwastewaterdischargedfromtheirfacilities.

    Whenreportingcomplianceagainstaspecificwastewaterstandard,itisessentialthatacompanydescribeswhichparametersareassessedandthethresholdsrequiredtoachievecompliancewitheachparameter.Inthiscontext,complianceisachievedwhenthesethresholdsaremet,regardlessofwhethertreatmentoccursatwastewatertreatmentplantsatthecompanysownfacilitiesoratsharedormunicipaltreatmentplants,solongasthestandardbeingmetisbasedaroundanotionofdonoharm.Forexample,acompanymightreportthat80percentofitsfacilitiesadheretoaninternallydevelopedwastewaterstandard,andthendescribethenatureofthatstandard.

    Average water intensity in water-stressed or water-scarce areasCompanywidewaterintensityprovidesinsightintotheefficiencyofacompanyswateruse.Improvementsinintensityovertimeareastrongindicationthatthecompanyistakingmeaningfulstepstoimproveitswatermanagement.Efficiencyismostimportantinwater-scarceandwater-stressedareas,wherecompaniesaremostlikelytofacerisksorcreateimpacts.Companiesshouldthereforereporttheiraveragewaterwithdrawalintensityinwater-stressedareas.

    Onewaytoreportintensityisbyusingproduct water intensity (waterwithdrawalperunitof

    product).Thisisameaningfulmetricforcompaniesinsectorswithdiscreteproductoutputs

    suchasthefood,beverage,orautomobileindustries.However,itisnotasrelevantfor

    companieswithdiversifiedproductportfoliosorcompaniesinservice-orientedsectors.These

    companiesmaypreferinsteadtousefinancial water intensity (waterwithdrawalperdollar

    revenue).

    Aswithwaterwithdrawals,dataonwaterintensityinwater-scarceorwater-stressedareas

    areparticularlymeaningfulwhenpresentedinconjunctionwiththeintensityofequivalent

    facilitiesinnon-water-scarceandnon-water-stressedareas.Somecompaniesfindvaluein

    reportingtheirwater consumptionintensityinadditiontotheirwaterwithdrawalintensity.

    Percent of facilities with fully functioning WASH services for all workers ProvidingconsistentaccesstoadequateWASHservicesintheworkplace19forallworkersiscriticalinavoidinghumanrightsimpactsandfulfillingthecorporateresponsibilitytorespecthumanrights.Companiescanreportthisissuebyenumeratingthepercentofowned-and-operatedfacilitiesthatofferaccesstofullyfunctioningandconsistentlymaintaineddrinkingwaterandsanitationservicestoallworkers.

    19TheWorldBusinessCouncilforSustainableDevelopmentsWASHattheWorkplacewebsiteprovidesavarietyofresourcesthathelpcompaniesensuretheysufficientlyprovideWASHservicesintheiroper-ations.

  • 43SECTION5DetailedDisclosure

    ADVANCED

    Companiesatanadvancedlevelofdisclosurepracticeprovideawiderangeoflocation-specificdatathatprovideinsightintotheperformanceofspecificfacilitiesandthecontextsinwhichtheyoperate,aswellasperformanceintheirvaluechain.

    location-specific performance dataAdvancedreportersprovideinformationontheirwaterperformanceinspecificgeographiclocations(seeGeographic/geopoliticalscaleofreportingonpage34).Sincemanylargecompanieshavedozens,ifnothundreds,offacilitiesacrosstheworld,companiesmaychoosetoreportdataonlyforthehotspotslistedintheirhigh-levelassessmentofbasins(seeSection5:Context).

    intel: 2013 Corporate responsiBilitY report

  • 44 Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines

    Location-specificperformancedataincludethefollowing:

    Water withdrawals by source typeSomeadvanceddisclosersbreakdownwithdrawaldataaccordingtosourcetype,includingsurfacewater,groundwater(renewableandnonrenewable),municipal water,recycled water,runoff,saltwater,andwastewater.Thislevelofdetailcanbeimportant.Forexample,pullingwaterfromanoverdrawnaquiferhassignificantlydifferentconsequencesonlocalwaterstressthandoeswithdrawingwaterfromothersources,suchastheocean.Distinguishingbetweensourcetypesallowsaudiencestobetterunderstandtherisksandimpactsassociatedwithacompanyswaterperformance.

    Water intensityIdeally,anadvanceddiscloseralsoprovidesthewater intensityofitsoperationsinspecificbasins.

    Water consumption Waterconsumption,inmanycases,generatesgreaternegativeimpactsthanwithdrawals.Forthisreason,anadvanceddiscloserreportsconsumptioninadditiontowithdrawals.

    Water discharge by destination typeCompaniesarealsowellservedtoreporttheirwater discharge onalocation-specificbasis.Dischargehastwokeycomponents:quantityandquality.Quantityisimportantbecausecompaniesmustbeable

    Click here

    How to report advanced context and performance

    information

    olam: Corporate responsiBilitY & sustainaBilitY report 2013

    This year we completed the first water footprint of Olams busi-ness, encompassing our 55 Tier 1 facilities, our own plantations, concessions and farms, as well as our farmer suppliers. The water consumption this year at our 55 Tier 1 facilities was measured as 4.6 million m. Olams company farms and plantations had a water footprint measuring approximately 350 million m, largely from our almond orchards and rice farm.Water consumption last year by Olams farmer suppliers was esti-mated6 at 26.3 billion m per year, comprising 25 billion m of rain-water and 1.3 billion m of surface and ground water. Olams great-est business-related water impacts and risks therefore clearly exist in our upstream supply chain rather than in our direct operations.

  • 45SECTION5DetailedDisclosure

    nike, inC. FY12/13 sustainaBle Business perFormanCe summarY

    In FY13, 793 material vendors and contract fac-tories tracked and report-ed their water use and dis-charge to the NIKE Water Program. Of 260 facilities discharging more than 50m3/day in FY13, 48% met NIKE water quality guidelines (which require compliance with all lo-cal regulations and NIKE guidelines, whichever are more stringent), and an-other 47% were compliant with local regulations.

    The remaining 5% needed improvement. The higher percentage needing im-provement in FY13 (com-pared with the 1% noted in our FY10/11 report) is due to the expansion of the NIKE Water Program beyond apparel material vendors to include foot-wear materials suppliers for the first time.

    toquantifythevolumesofpollutedwaterdischargedtoreceivingbodiesinordertounderstandtheirnegativeimpacts.Manyadvanceddisclosersreportthevolumeofwaterdischargedcompanywideandonalocation-specificbasis.Somebreakdownthedischargedatafurtherbyspecifyingdestinationtype,includinggroundwater,sewers,andsurfacewater.Thislevelofdetailhelpsinterestedaudiencesunderstandthespecificwaterbodiesthatacompanymaybeaffecting.Destination-typedatacanbereportedasapercentageoflocation-specificdischarge.

    Qualityisalsoakeycomponentofdischargebutverydifficulttodisclosemeaningfully.Dischargewaterqualityvariessignificantlybyindustry.Forexample,companiesinthefoodandbeveragesectoroftendischargehighlevelsofBOD,COD,nitrogen,andphosphorus.Meanwhile,companiesintheextractivesindustryareusuallymoreconcernedwithparameterssuchastotaldissolvedsolids(TDS)orheavymetals.Advanceddisclosersunderstandtheparametersofconcernintheirindustryandfocustheirwaterqualitydisclosureonthosemetrics,alongwithinformationrel