Nov 09 – Invitation: Public Comment on Corporate Water Accounting Report

(New York, 18 November 2009) – The UN Global Compact Office today announced an invitation for public comment in connection with the development of guidance on methods and tools used to measure water usage and impact. The public comment period on the Corporate Water Accounting draft report is open until 11 December, 2009. Read below for more details on how to submit your comments.

Background

The United Nations Environment Programme’s Division of Technology, Industry, and Economics has commissioned a report from the Pacific Institute in its capacity as part of the CEO Water Mandate Secretariat. This stocktaking exercise, entitled “Corporate Water Accounting: An Analysis of Methods and Tools for Measuring Water Use and Its Impact”, is meant to map the state-of-play with regard to the methodologies and tools available for corporate water accounting. It is part of the broader UNEP Water Footprint, Neutrality, and Efficiency Umbrella Project.

Objectives

This report aims to fulfill the need to clarify commonalities and differences among existing and emerging water accounting methodologies and tools being used in the private sector. Specifically, this report will:

  • Elucidate commonalities and differences among emerging methods and practice,
  • Identify gaps and challenges, and
  • Suggest where accounting methods might benefit from harmonization and increased field testing.

It looks most closely at perhaps the two most significant water accounting methodologies: 1) water footprinting (as managed by the Water Footprint Network) and 2) emerging water-related practice in the field of Life Cycle Assessment. However, this analysis also examines in lesser detail the WBCSD Global Water Tool and GEMI’s water sustainability tools, as well as ecological and carbon footprinting methods as they relate to corporate water accounting.

Workplan

The Pacific Institute is now soliciting public comments on a preliminary draft of
this report and asks that comments be submitted to CorporateWaterAccounting@pacinst.org by 11 December, 2009.

The purpose of this consultation is to help ensure that the analysis provides value to businesses, while addressing the concerns of consumers, investors, and other stakeholders from civil society, academia, intergovernmental organizations, and communities impacted by corporate water practices. The Pacific Institute will make final edits to the report based on comments received, as well as feedback heard at an upcoming UNEP workshop in Paris in late-November. The final version of the report is slated for release in March 2010.

Contact

Gavin Power
Deputy Director
UN Global Compact
powerg@un.org

Jason Morrison
Program Director
Pacific Institute
jmorrison@pacinst.org

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CEO Water Mandate Secretariat
The CEO Water Mandate is a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General and the UN Global Compact, implemented in partnership with the Pacific Institute. These key partners work together as the CEO Water Mandate Secretariat. The Mandate Secretariat supports the initiative’s mission in many ways, including: 1) developing research, guidance, and tools that advance corporate water stewardship; 2) convening multi-stakeholder events to identify, explore, and solve key water challenges; 3) facilitating meaningful collective action to improve conditions in at-risk river basins.