Water Saving at the Corporate Level

(Originally posted on waterefficiency.net)

By Elizabeth Cutright
Editor
Water Efficiency

If you've had a chance to play around with our new iPhone app—Waterprint—then perhaps you already know that it takes approximately 16.5 gallons of water to produce one 12-oz bottle of beer. And while it’s important for the consumer to be aware of their water footprint so that they can make educated choices designed to reduce their overall impact on water resources, for the maker of those products, getting a handle on imbedded water costs can not only lead to better conservation practices, but actually help that business stay afloat.
Case in point: Anheuser Busch.
As one of the world’s largest beer manufacturers, Anheuser Busch InBev (AB InBev) has always been aware of the water-intensive nature of the business. In 2007, the company required 5 liters of water for every liter of beer it produced.
In a statement announcing the company’s goal of reducing water consumption by 30% (3.5 liters of water per liter of beer), AB InBev CEO Carlos Brito says, “We are acutely aware that water is a finite and precious resource and the principal ingredient in our products. Efficient water use is essential to the continued, sustainable growth of our business around the world”.
A few months back we discussed the calculation of water risk (Gauging Risks), and I pointed out that a Water Index has the possibility of affecting the behavior of water-intensive companies. This was certainly the case with AB InBev, who found themselves at the top of a list of 100 companies rated by Ceres in regards to their water risk practices.
Beer is popular around the world—in different surveys it’s held everything from the fifth to top spot—and we’ve looked at efforts by the industry to effectively manage their water resources in several articles, the most recent of which appeared in the magazine last year (Green Beer). This is an educated and proactive industry, and as AB InBev demonstrates, there is no shortage of willingness to reduce water use across the board. In this week’s New York Times, AB InBev's director of environment and sustainability is quoted as saying, “Reducing water use and other natural resources is really part of how we drive efficiency in our operations. It’s simply good business.”
So what do you think? In the absence of concrete guidelines, can water-intensive enterprises rise above mere lip service and actually effect real change when it comes to water use? And is it fair to expect the same results across country lines, or should expectations be tailored to the challenges and concerns of each community touch by these big corporate enterprises? And what role—if any—can individual actions and user demands play in the quest for water efficient commercial practices?