Water positive

Water positiveis the concept ofwater conservationby a company, community, or individual that actively contributes to thesustainable managementand restoration ofwater resources.This involves implementing practices and technologies that reducewater consumption,improvewater quality,and enhancewater availability.The goal of being water positive is to leave a positive impact on water ecosystems and ensure that more water is conserved and restored than is used or depleted.

History

The idea of water positivity began in theconstruction industryin the early 2000s. This was in response to an agenda for optimizing construction practices by reducing their environmental impact throughlandandmaterial reductions,as well asenergyandwaterconservation, to produce "zero impact buildings."To conserve water,rain harvestingwas considered to minimize dependence on freshwater consumption.

Interest in water positivity expanded to other domains and industries as concerns began to rise over the challenges of global freshwater scarcity. It can be coupled with the previous agenda ofnet zero emissions,sharing a common goal of restoring the environment through sustainable management of vital resources. Civil and corporate responsibilities aim to control resource consumption and manage waste to achieve a net positive impact. To achieve these goals, compensation incentives are introduced as credits (such ascarbon creditsor water-positive credits) that can be commercially exchanged between the seller (authorized carbon credit or water-positive holders) and buyers, promoting positive environmental impacts.

Like the compensation ofgreenhouse gases(GHG), the idea behind water positivity is to balance thewater footprintby implementing measures for process efficiency,water purification,aquifer recharge,ecosystemconservation, and other water compensation projects. It focuses on managing this critical resource so that organizations contribute more to global water sustainability.

Expansion

Water positivity expanded globally in the 2000s, driven partly by theUnited NationsMillennium Development Goalsrelating to access todrinking waterand the need formanufacturing industriesto participate in watersustainabilityin theirproduction.

Beverage companieslikeThe Coca-Cola CompanyandPepsiCoestablished water positivity commitments for water-stressed regions by investing in water efficiency and community projects. They set goals to reduce the use ofpotable waterper liter of product production, becoming models for other industries. In June 2007, Coca-Cola announced a multi-year partnership withWorld Wildlife Fund(WWF) onwater conservation.E. Neville Isdell,Coca-Cola's chairman and CEO, said: "Our goal is to replace every drop of water we use in our beverages and their production. For us, that means reducing the amount of water used...recycling water used for manufacturing processes so it can be safely returned to the environment, and replenishing water in communities and nature through locally relevant projects."

With theUN Sustainable Development Goalsestablished in 2015 and growing social pressure for companies to adopt environmentally sustainable practices, more companies across various industries publicly committed to the goal of being water positive by 2030 to 2050.

The surge in commitment to this initiative occurred after 2015, whenMicrosoft,Google,Ecolab,Unilever,Nestlé,AB InBev,Levi's,IKEA,Cargill,BP,Gap Inc.,Colgate-Palmolive,Meta,Diageo,Starbucks,Danone,IBM,Procter & Gamble,IntelandMarsproposed drastic reductions in their operational water consumption, offsetting consumption by implementing strategies such asrainwater harvestingsystems,water purification,reforestationprojects, andaquifer recharge,among other initiatives, focusing on improving water-stressedbasins.

On August 7, 2023, Canada Ocean Racing, an offshore sailing team competing in theIMOCA Globe Series), named its new team "Be Water Positive".The team partnered withAlex ThomsonRacing, which managed British solo sailor Alex Thomson’s fiveVendée Globecampaigns over the past20 years. Canada Ocean Racing's goal was to be the first Canadian team to complete the Vendée Globe and build awareness of water positivity.

Strategies

The main strategies applied by companies and entities were presented at the United Nations Conference on Water held in New York City in 2023.It is assumed that by systematically following these guidelines and with long-term commitments, various companies have set goals to be water positive within 10 to 15 years. The strategies are:

• implementingtechnologiesand processes to reduce direct and indirectwater consumptionthrough process optimization,circularproduction, and water recycling and reuse
• offsetting the residualwater footprintthrough projects that increase and improve the availability and quality of water in impacted basins, such as the construction of wetlands and algal farms, treatment plants, reforestation, aquifer recharge, rainwater harvesting systems, among other innovations
• investing inresearch and developmentto implement new technologies that optimize water use
• establishingpartnershipswithNGOs,local communities, and other actors to advance integrated management of sharedwater resources
• promoting a culture of water sustainability among employees and consumers through awareness programs on the responsible use of water.
• establishing compensation incentives for the application of multiple barrier purification systems such asultrafiltration,microfiltration,nanofiltration,reverse osmosis,ultraviolet radiation,or their combination that sustainablypurify waterand achieve water positive production goals.

Compensation

The water positive concept, throughwater purificationusing unconventional resources, was presented for the first time during the opening ceremony at the IDA 2022 World Congress during the “Charting Resilient Water Solutions” opening ceremony.

The objective ofwater footprintcompensation is to achieve a positive impact on global water resources. This is done by collaborating with various stakeholders to implementwater purificationsystems in areas of scarcity, thus increasing the local supply. A more balanced trade invirtual waterfootprint, which is the water used to produce traded goods and services between regions, is also promoted.

Regulating this virtualwater tradecan improve the global efficiency of water use. Regions with abundant water resources could compensate part of the water footprint from regions with high water stress, thus helping to alleviate their dependence on virtual water imports. This two-pronged approach of increasing local supply and balancing trade between regions represents a comprehensive management of global water resources that only these decentralized treatments allow in a way similar to thecarbon offsetmarket.

The Water Benefit Standard

The Water Benefit Standard launched in 2014, was the first globally consistent standard that certified the positive socio-economic impacts of water projects. The principles and safeguards from this standard have been embedded into the broader framework of theGold Standardregistry for Water Benefit Certificates. This ensures that any project that may have implications on water quality or access, actively manages any risks.