BAFWAC Highlights Private Sector in Action

The Business Alliance for Water and Climate (BAFWAC) has recently made available 16 case studies exploring the current breadth of private sector action around water- and climate-related issues.

BAFWAC was jointly launched in 2015 by CDP, the CEO Water Mandate, SUEZ, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) as a way for the private sector to address the economic, social, and environmental value at risk due to the increasing and global effects of climate change and water stress. BAFWAC provides an action platform for businesses that allows for best practice sharing and collective action opportunities at the basin level. In return, BAFWAC asks companies to commit to analyzing and sharing water-related risks in order to implement collaborative response strategies, measuring and reporting water use data, and reducing impacts on water in operations and throughout the value chain.

BAFWAC is building a community around innovation and best practice resources in three key areas of the water-climate nexus:

• Circular water management
• Climate-resilient agriculture
• Natural infrastructure

Currently, over 40 businesses have signed on to BAFWAC, representing nearly US$650 billion in annual revenues. The following 16 case studies illustrate private sector leadership and innovation in the three water- and climate-related focus areas.

1. Acciona Agua: Sustainable Water Supply in Water Scarce Regions
2. Volkswagen Group: Itza Popo- Replenishing Groundwater through Reforestation in Mexico
3. Unilever: Improving Water Efficiency in Manufacturing
4. Rio Tinto: Optimizing the Efficient Use of Scarce Water Resources at Oyu Tolgoi Mine
5. Nestle: Manos al Agua- Intelligent Water Management
6. LafargeHolcim Philippines: Green Roof and Water Management in Philippines Government Office Building
7. LafargeHolcim France: Water Management and Flood Prevention in France
8. Iberdrola: Rainwater Capture and Storage for Drinking Water
9. General Motors: Detroit Hamtramck
10. Ford Motor Company: Partnership for a Cleaner Environment (PACE)
11. Ericsson: Using Smart Technology to Monitor Stockholm’s Water Systems
12. Coca-Cola European Partners: Using the Sustainable Agriculture Guiding Principles Initiative to Ensure Reliable Sugar Supply
13. BP Australia: Water Minimization and Recycling in Refining
14. Illovo and SUSFARMS: Building Climate Resilient Sugarcane Supply Chains
15. Proctor & Gamble: Water Reduction and Reuse in a P&G Beauty Care Manufacturing Facility
16. OLAM: Survival of the Driest- OLAM’s Innovative Onion Breeding Program

Whether through water reuse and recycling, manufacturing process efficiency, green roofs and wetlands, agricultural strategies, groundwater replenishment, reforestation, or support for WASH in nearby communities, the companies featured in these case studies have recognized the perilous risk of inaction around water and climate, and have decided to act. Interested parties can learn more, access tools and resources, and join BAFWAC.