Brasilia, 20 March 2018: With the 8th World Water Forum recently taking place in Brasilia, Brazil, 18 locally-based companies were determined to use this unique opportunity to spur Brazilian business action in this area.
Launched on Monday 19 March, the Brazilian Business Commitment to Water Security, championed by WBCSD’s Global Network partner BCSD Brazil / CEBDS, aims to change the relationship between business and water in the country and leave a legacy of responsible water management for future generations. Among the signatories of the commitment are WBCSD members CPFL Energia, Natura, Heineken and Unilever.
As in many countries, urgent action is required to address water challenges in Brazil and meet the nutrition and health needs of a growing population within planetary boundaries. While a wide array of stakeholders are required to put in place mechanisms to encourage solutions to water challenges, business participation and engagement is essential to delivering impactful solutions.
Signatories of the Brazilian Business Commitment have undertaken to encourage best practice in Brazil through initiatives such as integrating water into their business strategy, mitigating water risk by reducing consumption, treating and reusing the water they use, contributing to the conservation of water basins and increasing irrigation efficiency, among other activities. They also recognize the need to measure and communicate water management, while developing watershed and supply-chain wide solutions.
CEBDS and the signatory companies will develop theme-based campaigns for collaborative projects every two years to stimulate joint engagement with government, civil society, business and other sectors. The signatory companies will also make publicly available relevant information regarding their own actions, as well as their projects, knowledge and campaigns, through the Platform of the Brazilian Business Commitment to Water Security.
At the launch, WBCSD Vice-President and COO Peter White stressed the importance of the water theme in companies' decision-making, saying “without water, no life. No water, no business”, he summed up, summoning other companies to join the pledge.
In addition to consolidating the efforts in this area of committed Brazilian companies, the initiative will help Brazil to lead the way in the implementation of innovative solutions and deliver this legacy at the next World Water Forum in Senegal in 2021.
Click here for WBCSD’s Insider Perspective to the World Water Forum in Brasilia, where the Council launched a CEO Guide to Water, laying out the business case for water and presenting the significant business opportunities connected to action in this area.
