World Benchmarking Alliance+Reporting on water use

About the data

The WBA Nature Benchmark measures and ranks the world's most influential companies on their efforts to protect the environment and its biodiversity, tracking how companies are reducing their negative impacts on nature and contributing to the protection and restoration of ecosystems, aligned with the goals of the Global Biodiversity Framework. The 2026 edition assessed 750 companies across multiple sectors including agro-food, forestry, building, tourism and the blue economy. The benchmark is developed in close collaboration with an Expert Review Committee and partners including GRI, SBTN, and TNFD, with a methodology designed to incentivise companies to understand where nature-related risks are highest and act to halt damaging trends, while keeping human rights and social impacts at its core.

More information can be found here.

Methodology

According to the United Nations, nearly two-thirds of the global population experiences
severe water scarcity for at least one month a year, and over two billion people live in countries with
inadequate water supply. By 2025, half of the world’s population could face water scarcity, and by
2040, one in four children may live in areas with extreme water stress. Global water use has increased
six times over the past century, primarily through agriculture (around 70%) and industrial activities
(around 20%), according to the United Nations World Water Development Report 2020. This
underscores the significant role companies play in water consumption and the need for sustainable
and transparent water management practices.The company must report the following metrics on the company‚Äôs entire operations:
Water withdrawal
Water consumption
Water withdrawal and consumption from water-stressed areas, at least from areas with high water stress and above

Water-stressed areas must be identified following a recognized tool or methodology (e.g., the WRI Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas).
Datapoint must be from the most recent reporting period. Intensity metrics are not accepted.

License

CC BY 4.0

Topics

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