Can Water Propel Pursuit of Net Zero?

The world’s water crisis is spiraling out of control. Globally, 2 billion people—more than a quarter of the world’s population—do not have safe drinking water and almost half of all people lack access to safely managed sanitation, according to UN data released in March.

The problem is only getting worse: In 2012, the UN estimated the gap between water supply and demand would be 40% by 2030. The World Resource Institute now projects a 56% gap by that year.

The water scarcity poses a risk to business because water is central to many businesses’ operations and supply chains. What if, in the process of future-proofing their businesses for a water-scarce world, corporate leaders could also reduce their carbon footprints?

Water is a significant, but often overlooked, contributor to carbon emissions. Together, global water use, storage and distribution contributes 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to a 2020 report from environmental reporting non-profit CDP.

Water must be heated, cooled, moved and treated in order to be fit for commercial use, all of which requires energy—energy which is still largely produced by fossil fuels. So a company using less water is also addressing its net zero carbon emissions goals.

There is growing public pressure on companies to act. About 40% of consumers say companies are most responsible for climate change, while 45% say they aren’t doing enough to tackle the problem, according to a recent Ecolab survey of 4,000 consumers in eight countries.

It’s in companies’ interest—both reputationally and financially—to address water use and carbon emissions. The financial cost of corporate water risks is $301 billion, while the cost to mitigate those risks is only $55 billion, according to a survey by CDP.

“If we as a world choose to do nothing about water scarcity, by 2050 more than 50% of the world's population will be living in environments where there isn’t enough water to sustain life as it is today,” says Calvin Emanuel, Vice President and General Manager for Sustainable Growth Solutions at Ecolab.

Ecolab works with its customers to better manage water and find efficiencies. It’s new Ecolab Water for Climate program is specifically designed to help companies meet their ambitious climate goals without compromising business growth through solutions like auditing, consulting, engineering, advanced chemistries, and digital technologies that support, reduce, re-use and recycle water strategies across an enterprise.

In the beverage and brewing manufacturing industry, for example, the program is designed to help reduce water use on average by 25%, energy use by 12% and greenhouse gas emissions by 6%.

“You’re helping preserve the world’s limited water supplies, while at the same time you’re cutting your expenses and you’re one step closer to net zero carbon emissions,” says Emanuel. “It’s a win-win-win. But first you must transform the way you think about water.”