Carbon Disclosure Project 2011


Water-related issues receive less attention than climate change at the board level


57% (109) of Global 500 respondents report board-level oversight of water- related policies, strategies or plans. In contrast, 94% (371) of Global 500 respondents to the Investor CDP information request report board-level oversight of climate change. Why water-related issues are given lower priority than climate change issues is unclear, especially as the majority of reported risks and opportunities are near-term. Despite the fact that a large number of companies report a policy, strategy or plan (93%, 176), water is often managed under general environmental or sustainability plans rather than under specific plans focused on water.


Measuring quantitative performance in addressing water related risks is integral to an effective water stewardship program and can indicate a more mature water governance structure. 81% (154) of respondents report having water- related targets and goals but only 57% (109) have set concrete, quantitative goals (compared to 60% in 2010).3


Generally,


quantitative targets/goals are focused on absolute reductions and water efficiency.


The percentage of respondents with board-level oversight of water-related plans has a strong correlation to the reporting maturity of respondents. 41% (24 of 59) of first time respondents have board- level oversight of water-related plans, compared to 65% (85 of 131) of previous respondents. Although


Figure 6: Water management and governance


100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%


93% 89% 94% 88% 86% 72% 72% 67% 57% 60% 57% 42% 26% 22% 58% 95%


2010 2011


first time respondents are not necessarily new to addressing water risk, their responses can be perceived as less mature than those of previous respondents. First time respondents are also less able to identify operations in water-stressed regions, identify water-intensive inputs from these regions, and assess whether direct operations are at risk (Table 1). By providing a platform for peer comparison and a data set for long-term evaluation, disclosure is an important step for first time respondents and can help build awareness of water management internally.


Report a policy,


strategy or plan


Board-level oversight of policy,


strategy or plan


Report concrete


targets or goals


Report


actions to manage


resources or engage


stakeholders


Able to


report water withdrawals


Able to


report water recycling/ reuse


Able to identify linkages or trade-offs between


water and carbon


Required key suppliers to report


water use, risks and


management


3 To calculate the number of concrete targets and goals, individual responses were judged to exclude those with mention of qualitative goals or those without specific targets. See Appendix II for a description of the full report methodology.


12


Percentage of respondents


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