Since its launch in 2007, the CEO Water Mandate has produced several research and guidance outputs that seeks to help businesses identify and address water-related business risks, communicate their water policies and practices to stakeholders, and contribute to the sustainable management of shared freshwater resources. Below is a list of some of these key outputs.
Guide to Responsible Business Engagement with Water Policy
Outlines five principles for responsible business engagement in water policy: (1) responsible engagement should be driven by a genuine interest in efficient, equitable, and sustainable water management; (2) there should be a clear division of public and private sector roles; (3) responsible engagement promotes inclusiveness and meaningful partnership; (4) business should recognize the connections between water and other policy arenas; and (5) companies must be transparent and accountable for their actions. (UNGC/Pacific Institute, 2010)
Framework for Responsible Business Engagement with Water Policy
Assists companies in responsible water policy engagement, providing core principles, strategies, and operational practices. (UNGC/Pacific Institute/WWF/Government of Germany, 2010)
The Human Right to Water: Emerging Corporate Practice and Stakeholder Expectations
In July 2010, the UN General Assembly recognized access to safe drinking water and sanitation as a human right. Two months later, the UN Human Rights Council affirmed this right by a consensus resolution. This white paper is designed to provide information that will inform both how individual companies can respect the human right to water, as well as how the Mandate itself can meaningfully contribute to business’ ability to effectively address this issue. (UNGC/Pacific Institute, 2010)
Corporate Water Accounting – An Analysis of Methods and Tools for Measuring Water Use and its Impacts
A stocktaking and assessment of existing and emerging water accounting methods and tools being used in the private sector. (UNGC/UNEP/Pacific Institute, 2010)
The CEO Water Mandate – An initiative by business leaders in partnership with the international community
A group of leading global businesses will present the CEO Water Mandate, a strategic framework for action that covers several focus areas, ranging from supply chain and watershed management to community engagement and transparency. The framework's action recommendations include production strategies, water-utilization audits and incentive systems for water recycling, the development of a water-sustainability agenda, and inclusion of the GRI guidelines in corporate reporting. (UNGC, revised 2010)
Water Disclosure 2.0
This Mandate study compiles and analyzes the water-related information provided in the Corporate Responsibility (CR) reports of 110 companies representing 11 industry sectors that are either water-intensive in their operations or have significant leverage with which to influence water development, policy, or management. It focuses on two aspects of corporate water reporting: 1) the approaches and methods used for determining content and 2) the depth, breadth, and usefulness of reported content related to water.
More Mandate Research Materials
- Fresh Water Resources and Related Services (May 2011)
- White Paper – Climate Change and the Global Water Crisis (May 2009)
- Discussion Paper: Water and Human Rights: Exploring the Roles and Responsibilities of Business (March 2009)
- Discussion Paper: From Footprint to Public Policy (March 2009)
- Independent Review of 2008 Programme of Activities
- Mapping of Global Freshwater Initiatives (March 2008)
- Endorser Survey Synthesis Report (March 2008)
- Briefing Note High Commissioner for Human Rights on the Right to Water (March 2008)

