In an era marked by growing environmental awareness, intensifying stakeholder scrutiny, and mounting climate risks, corporate water risk management (i.e., corporate sustainability) is emerging as a foundational cornerstone of operational and financial resilience across all sectors. This includes everything from resource-intensive industries to consumer-facing businesses. Central to this change is the increasing focus on strategic management of water and wastewater, a critical operational input influenced by scarcity, regulatory pressures, and brand awareness.
This report analyzes 110 companies across 11 water-intensive industries that collectively generated US$9.2 trillion in revenues in 2023. These industries-which include both heavy and light sectors such as food & beverage, power, and mining-showcase diverse water use intensities and distinct challenges and approaches leveraged globally. The analysis highlights broader differences across industries.
The findings in this Insight Report uncover not only the extensive scope of corporate water use but also highlight 453 water management projects aimed at improving operational water efficiencies, promoting water reuse, and applying different strategies (e.g., on-site management vs. third-party offsets).
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Companies Mentioned:
Abbott
AbbVie
AECOM
Ajinomoto
Alibaba
Amazon
Amgen
Anglo American
Apple
Arca Continental
ArcelorMittal
BASF
BHP
Black & Veatch
BlackRock
BMW
BP
Brown and Caldwell
CDP
Chalco
Chevron
City of Fort Worth
Clorox
Coca-Cola
Colgate Palmolive
Columbus Water Works
Constellation Energy
CyrusOne
Danone
Diageo
Digital Realty
Dominion Energy
Dow
Duke Energy
DuPont
Earth Island Institute
Ecolab
EDF Energy
Eli Lilly and Company
Enel
Engie
Equinix
Estee Lauder
ExxonMobil
EY
Ford Motor Company
Formosa Plastics Corp
Freeport-McMoRan
General Motors
Georgia-Pacific
Glencore
GlobalFoundries
GlobalWafers
Goldman Sachs
Google
Gradiant
GRI
Grundfos
GSK
Heineken
Honda Motor Company
Iberdrola
IBM
INEOS Group
Intel Corporation
International Finance Corporation
International Paper
Irvine Ranch Water District
Jiangxi Copper Corporation
Johnson & Johnson
Kao Corporation
Kellogg
Kimberly-Clark Corporation
KKR & Co. Inc.
L'Oreal
Las Vegas Valley Water District
LyondellBasell
MAS
Mercedes-Benz
Merck
Meta
Micron Technology
Mitsubishi Chemical Group
Mondi
National Grid
Nestle
Newterra
NextEra
Nine Dragons Paper
Nissan
Novartis
Novo Nordisk
NXP Semiconductors
Oji Holdings
PA Consulting
Pentair
PepsiCo
Pernod Ricard
Pfizer
Phillips 66
PJSC Lukoil Oil Company
PJSC Rosneft Oil Company
Procter & Gamble
PwC
Reckitt Benckiser Group
Rio Tinto
Roche
Royal Dutch Shell
SABIC
Samsung
Sanofi
SASB
Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures
Sinopec
SMIC
Smurfit Kappa
Southern Company
Stellantis
Stora Enso
Sumitomo Chemical
Tacoma Water
Tata Group
Tesla
Tetra Tech
Texas Instruments
The Kraft Heinz Company
The Weyerhaeuser Company
Total Environmental Solutions
Toyota
TriRiver Water
TSMC
UMC
Unilever
Vale S.A.
Valero Energy Corporation
Veolia
Volkswagen
West Virginia Highlands Conservancy
WestRock
Woodard & Curran
World Resources Institute
Xylem
Table of Contents
Section 1: Drivers & Inhibitors for Sustainable Water Management
Corporate Water Sustainability Aims to Mitigate Risk
Water Sustainability Stakeholder Value Chain
Water-Stress Areas Underpin Water Project Investments
Water Projects Point to Quantifiable Savings
Regulation Mandates Corporate Disclosure of Water Use
Inhibitors for Investment in Sustainable Water
Low Cost of Water Limits Incentive for Reductions
Fragmented Sustainability Standards and Reporting Frameworks
Section 2: Comparing Water Sustainability Strategies
Withdrawals Differ by Industry
Industry Withdrawals Change over Time
Industrial Reporting of Water Usage Rises
Water-Focused Project Activity, Initiatives Grow
Breaking Down Water Projects by Industry
Companies Investing in Water Reuse
Disclosed Expenditure on Water Management Projects
Total Water-Specific Funding Disclosures Across Industries
Green Financing Supports Company Sustainability Goals
Section 3: Industry Vertical Water Management Profiles