Every Last Drop: Water and the Sustainable Business

EVERY LAST DROP:

Water and Sustainable Business

SSC White Paper

Every Last Drop

As water scarcity becomes a more and more pressing issue,
businesses are beginning to realize its widespread affects.
This presentation summarizes the white paper Every Last Drop:
Water and Sustainable Business, which provides a broad overview of
the current water situation by highlighting the major issues and trends
surrounding water scarcity and quality in the context of business risk.
It also covers water trends and how to measure your organization's
water footprint, providing practical tools for reducing water and
saving money. A guide to smart water use based on your industry type
is included.

www.sustainabilityconsulting.com

Copyright © 2012, Strategic Sustainability Consulting. All rights reserved.

Every Last Drop

After reading Every Last Drop, you
will be able to answer:
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Why do you need to address water risk
in your business?
What might the future look like for your
industry and how will that shape key
strategic business decisions?
How will you implement a water
conservation and risk strategy?
What behavioral/technological changes
will you have to make? How fast will you
see a return on investment?
How can you market your efforts to gain
competitive advantage?



Part One: An Introduction to the Problem


Water is a key component of all business operations, whether in
direct processes or supply chain sectors. While in some cases
water can be replaced by oil, the need to use water can never
be completely avoided.
No company, regardless of its size, can ignore the effects that
water challenges will bring.




Globally speaking, our water use is
unsustainable. If changes happen
now, and we mean now, water
shortages, ecological collapse, and
economic disaster can be avoided
in the future.

Every Last Drop highlights water

Whether you have just started
to think about sustainability or
would like to take your efforts
to a new level, Strategic
Sustainability Consulting can
help!

trends in the context of business
risk, making water conservation
accessible to your organization.



Part Two: Water Troubles

With only a finite amount of fresh water on the
planet for human use (less than 1% of usable water
being available above ground), and a booming
population, water truly is the next big global issue.






The Big Picture








Water is not always abundant
where it is truly needed while the
reverse is also true: it can be an
abundant resource where
demand is not as high (with low
concentrations of people)
Water is basically immobile, and
highly costly to transport
Freshwater consumption
worldwide has more than
doubled in recent years
As more and more countries
industrialize, embedded water
usage sky rockets

For more facts and figures download the
rest of Every Last Drop!






The Effects of Climate Change










The amount, intensity, frequency,
and type of precipitation
The widespread appearance of
droughts
Intense depreciation of glaciers
and snow cover
Higher water temperatures,
increased precipitation intensity,
and decreased flow all exacerbate
pollution

Increased vulnerability of
ecosystems






Decaying Infrastructure







Many water pipes, storage
facilities, dams, and reservoirs
are over 100 years old
Leaks and sewage spills result
Lack of accurate water usage
monitoring due to outdated
systems
Climate change will only decay
infrastructure further




Concerning water-energy
confluence, it is important to
save the energy that is
required to pump, process,
and refine our water and
waste. In doing so water itself
will be conserved.
Once you consider water and
energy as related,
environmental impacts can be
minimized holistically.





Pricing and Privatization






While water prices may seem
cheap now, they will inevitably rise
in the near future
Until water prices reflect the true
cost of delivering water, many
infrastructure changes will be hard
to make

Download Every Last
Drop to understand
more on the private
sector!

With an enormous amount of
capital expenditure required to fix
the water infrastructure, financing
has become a key issue



Part Three: Water Conservation


Contrary to popular belief it is actually often more cost
effective for businesses to invest in technologies and processes
that save water, rather than to source more.
Much like energy efficiency, a first step should always be water
efficiency before seeking new sources of water.






Conservation and Human
Behavior








The term “water conservation” is
defined as reducing water use by
improving the efficiency of various
uses of water without decreasing
services
Improving water efficiency can be
either behavioral or technological in
nature
It is helpful to think about the water
problem in one of two ways: by
either reducing demand or
increasing supply
Learn more in our free white paper
here.





Jumpstart Change






Educate and involve employees
on water conservation
Locate all water using sources
in the facility: bathrooms, wash
sinks, dish machines, HVAC,
cooling water
Identify and implement water
conservation




Technologies to Consider
Category

Best Available Technology

Cost

Toilets and Urinals

Composting Toilets and
Waterless Urinals

Starting at $200-$300

Faucets

Sensor Activated High Efficiency
Faucets

Aerators start at $5

Showerheads

Low Flow Head with a Stop Valve

Range from $8-$50

Hot Water

Recirculating Hot Water Systems
with Temperature Controlled
Bypass Valve and a Timer

Starting at about $300

Clothes Washers

Energy Star Clothes Washer

Starting at $800

Dishwashers

Energy Star Dishwasher

Starting at $400

Gray Water

Gray Water System for Irrigation
and Toilets

Cost Varies Geographically

Rain Water Harvesting

System for Irrigation and Toilets

$2500 for a Large Cistern

Irrigation

Satellite Enabled Irrigation
Start at $500
Controllers with Self-Closing
Nozzles


Conservation Check List:
Your Water Bill
•Understand you water bill and review it monthly for indications of leaks, spikes, or other problems

Your Water Meter
•Learn how to read your meter and do so monthly, comparing to the previous year to detect changes

Check and Repair Leaks
Go Low Flow
Try Sweeping
•Use dry sweeping, water efficient spray brooms, or low flow spray nozzles

Irrigation
•Test Sprinklers 4 times a year

Install Information Signs and Train Employees
Recycle and Reuse

Learn more by downloading Everyrights reserved.
Last Drop.
Copyright © 2012, Strategic Sustainability Consulting. All

Part Four: Creating and Implementing a
Water Strategy

Water Strategy

There are specific actions you can take in order to minimize the
risks that water scarcity can have on your company.
The following steps will help you in assessing your water inputs
and outputs so that you can manage them to ultimately save
water and maximize business opportunities.



Water Strategy

The Steps
1.

2.

Measure your company’s water
footprint throughout its value
chain
Assess the physical, regulatory,
and reputational risks associated
with your water footprint


3.

Seek to align findings with the
company’s energy and climate
risk assessments

Engage key stakeholders as a part
of water risk assessment, longterm planning, and
implementation activities


Water Strategy

The Steps
4.

5.

6.

Integrate water issues into
strategic business planning and
governance
Disclose and communicate water
performance and associated risks
Create an action plan to reduce
your water use throughout your
value chain

Don’t forget to download the
white paper to learn more on
each step of creating a strategy!


Part Five: Specific Strategies


Since water use varies so greatly between residential and
industrial organizations, this section will examine the specific
routes that these categories can take to conserve water.
Which one fits your organization?






Residential


Golf Courses




Get “greener” grass, improve
irrigation, utilize rain water

Medical Facilities


Update equipment, evaluate
chemicals, assess cooling
systems



Lodging



Laundries


Update washing machines

Which one fits your organization? Download Every Last
Drop to learn more on specific strategies for businesses.

Find out how lodging uses water in more
way than one!






Residential


Office Buildings


Install low flow toilets, eliminate
once-through cooling equipment



Property Management



Restaurants




Retrofit with Energy Star
appliances

Schools


Update bathroom fixtures, reduce
outdoor water use







Industrial


Apparel/Textiles





Check out a full case study on
textile process improvement!

Beverages




Consider your supply chain

Consider bottling, distribution,
and raw material production

Biotechnology


Invest in community water
projects to reduce wastewater
discharge







Industrial


Food and Agriculture


Update irrigation systems, begin
modest crop shifting



High Tech



Metals and Mining


Efficiency improvements in direct
operations, including water
recycling in ore refinement



Forest Products



Electrical Power




Need Help Getting Started?

Whether you have just started to think about sustainability or would
like to take your efforts to a new level, Strategic Sustainability
Consulting can help with all your green initiatives.
We have extensive experience helping small and medium sized firms
develop customized sustainability plans in the context of their specific
stakeholders and marketplace. Whatever your budget, we will provide
you with a workable, cost-saving solution.
Using our unique methodology – the SSC Green Audit – we will help
identify issues specific to your firm, employees and customers. Stepby-step, we will show you how to seize competitive advantage
through sustainability and become a leader in the green building
environment.


Need Help Getting Started?

This white paper is also a great resource to get you started! Every Last
Drop: Water and Sustainable Business will provide you with the
resources needed to take action.



Download the complimentary white paper in it’s
entirety by visiting the SSC website today:
Every Last Drop: Water and Sustainable Business

What are your thoughts? Join the
conversation on twitter @jenniferwoofter!

Every Last Drop: Water and the Sustainable Business

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

More from Strategic Sustainability Consulting

More from Strategic Sustainability Consulting (6)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Every Last Drop: Water and the Sustainable Business