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4 Ways Your Water Stewardship Program Can Benefit from Sustainability Software

FigBytes

blue ocean waves with grey sky

The water crisis is getting worse every day. This can be seen most recently in places like Jackson, Mississippi, but experts have been warning of potential devastating impacts for years. To compound the issue, the World Water Council reports the proportion of water for human use is increasing, not decreasing.

Thankfully more individuals, communities, businesses, and governments are recognizing the immediate need for better water stewardship. Water stewardship is the responsible use of water that is environmentally sustainable, socially equitable, and economically beneficial. 

For businesses and governments, this means considering:

  • How water is used within direct (operational) and indirect (supply chain) operations
  • How its water consumption and use impact the watershed
  • How the conditions of the watershed impact its operations

In this article, we explore four ways that businesses and governments can benefit from implementing an ESG or sustainability software solution to manage their water stewardship program.

Streamline Water Data Collection and Management

One of an organization’s biggest challenges when tackling water stewardship is data. Water is used across multiple parts of an organization’s operations, so collecting this data isn’t as easy as tracking a water utility bill.

The right software solution automates water data collection from multiple locations, facilities, and systems. This saves sustainability professionals the time and resources they would normally need to manually gather their water data including water consumption, usage, waste, and more. Centralizing this data to one platform makes monitoring and managing an organization’s water footprint easier.

Automate Water Footprint Calculations

After an organization has all its water data on one platform, the next step is to start putting that information to work. A comprehensive sustainability software will automatically track, calculate, and assess an organization’s green, blue, and grey water footprints. This makes it easier for an organization to assess and evaluate where they can reduce their water usage.

The right sustainability software will also automate reporting using globally recognized water stewardship frameworks and standards such as CDP – WaterSASBWater Footprint Network, and more. This ensures organizations are using the same criteria to measure, calculate, and report as other companies, which allows for them to benchmark and track their progress against others in their industry.

This ensures the accuracy of reports and disclosures as well as helps an organization be aware of their overall water impacts so they can work to improve them.

Help Reduce Water-Related Risks and Impacts

By tracking water footprints and usage, organizations will be armed with the data to better prepare for and mitigate water-related risks. The right software solution can identify water hotspots within operational processes where an organization can most effectively work to reduce its impacts. Identifying specific facilities where water consumption has suddenly increased or become more costly is just one example of a potential hotspot the right sustainability software can flag for sustainability managers.

This allows organizations to find opportunities where they can be better water stewards. They can also use this data to run scenario analyses and find potential impacts of water scarcity on their business or operations in the future.  

Become a Water Champion

In the world of sustainability, everyone is focused on carbon, but water is also vitally important to the health of our communities and planet. Organizations that act as exemplary water stewards can demonstrate their future-focused thinking and greater commitment to helping the planet and reducing its impacts on it.

With more concerns around greenwashing, having the data to back up their commitments gives organizations an advantage over those simply making grandiose claims. Organizations that utilize one platform to manage water stewardship and their entire sustainability program can best show their commitment to their sustainability goals by integrating data and showing their progress.

Need help managing your water impact? We can help. The FigBytes Water Stewardship Solution tracks, measures, and manages water risks and impacts across your organization. Speak to a FigBytes expert today.

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