In the past businesses have viewed water as a minimal operational cost and not a strategic issue. However, water has now emerged as a critical issue for both corporations and the public sector in response to increased water demand, climatic risks and potentially negative impacts on brand value.

This innovative book provides up to date information on global water issues and describes how companies can not only address these challenges but also implement high value global water strategies.

It shows:

Why water is a critical business issue for companies which now face water risk to their operations and brands;
How new concepts such as embedded water and virtual water are forcing companies to think differently about how they use water to manufacture products;
That companies need to develop a corporate water strategy to manage it as a key business issue and capture the real value of water;
How companies can develop partnerships with non-governmental organizations to implement water strategies

William Sarni has over 30 years of experience providing sustainability and environmental consulting services to global companies such as BASF, Cisco Systems, EMC and Sodexo. He is based in based in Denver, Colorado and is also the author of 'Greening Brownfields' (McGraw-Hill, 2009).

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Abbreviations

Part One: Key Issues for Business in Water Stewardship

1. The Global Challenge of Water and Why it Matters to Business

2. Global Issue with Local Solutions

3. The Disconnect Between Pricing and Value

4. Water Accounting: Water Footprint and Virtual Water

5. Partnerships

6. Water Technology

7. Reporting, Disclosure and Leadership

Part Two: Developing and Implementing a Successful Corporate Water Strategy

8. A Strategy Map

9. Food and Beverage Industries

10. The Semiconductor Industry

11. Power Generation

12. Extractive Industries

13. Manufacturing

Part Three: The New Water Paradigm

14. Seven New Rules for 21st Century Thinking

Index