This article is the final in our series on incorporating water efficiency policies when updating or establishing corporate sustainability goals. Read parts one, two, three, four and five.

If you’ve been following this blog series, you already know that water crises are one of the greatest risks society will face in the foreseeable future. You also know that it is essential for corporations to do their part to reduce water consumption and incorporate water efficiency policies into corporate sustainability plans. While you may have created a plan, set goals, updated your facilities, implemented office protocols and invested in recycled water, did you know there is still more that you can do?

Many companies will be surprised by how much water is being used to keep their business running. Reexamining and updating your water efficiency plan should extend beyond water usage in your facility and to where your products are coming from. According to the EPA, the greatest area for water usage reduction could be your supply chain rather than the operations and practices at your facility.

Some of the same steps your company has taken to create or update its water efficiency policies can be repurposed to ensure you’re establishing an ethical supply chain when it comes to water consumption. Consider the following steps for supply chain water efficiency:

1. Start by gathering data and looking at where your products are coming from so that your company will be able to take a comprehensive look at where change can be implemented.
2. Determine what your company will report and establish parameters for reporting so that you can be consistent and transparent, further indicating your commitment to ethical supply chain water policies.
3. Create meaningful goals regarding how your company can improve its supply chain.

After going through the initial steps of examining your existing supply chain, consider the following steps for improving your supply chain:

1. Sourcing products and packaging that are environmentally sustainable and working with companies who utilize renewable materials and water efficiency technologies in their facilities.
2. Relying on more diverse partnership networks and technology that include companies that are actively working to reduce their water usage and overall carbon footprint.

As we’ve stressed throughout this series, corporations must place a greater emphasis on creating or updating their water efficiency policies. Following a year where the main focus for many companies was COVID-19, corporate sustainability plans will once again be at the forefront of consumers’ minds.

As an ISO 14001 certified and TL 9000 compliant business, we are here to help. Give us a call at (415) 351-2227 if you want to discuss ways to improve your water efficiency policies, including your supply chain and the manufacturers you do business with.

We also encourage you to visit the EPA’s Lean and Water Beyond the Factory Floor when you are ready to move beyond your facility and start considering water efficiency in your supply chain.

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