This metric is part of the World Benchmarking Alliance's (WBA) suite of benchmarks, which measure and rank the world's most influential companies on their contributions to a sustainable and equitable future. More information on WBA's methodology can be found
here.
Water pollution is a rising global crisis that directly affects health, economic development
and food security (FAO, 2021b). Agriculture is a leading source of water pollution due to fertiliser and
pesticide runoff (FAO, 2023a). Given their significant role in contributing to this crisis, companies have
a responsibility to implement more effective and transparent wastewater treatment and pollution
control measures.
Research Guidance:
The company must report data on its discharge of water pollutants. Examples of water pollutants that companies could report on include:
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)
Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)
Total Suspended Solids (TSS)
heavy metals (e.g. mercury, lead, zinc)
Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOCs) (e.g. solvents, pesticides, synthetics)
Phosphorus
Nitrogen
Pesticides
Reporting must cover the company‚s entire operations. Datapoint must be from the most recent reporting period. Intensity metrics are not accepted