Weighing Water Risks

As businesses expand into new markets, water security is a consideration.

Photo credit: AusAID

Transcript of the Audio Podcast:

Companies consider conservation and water risk… on this CurrentCast.

When water risk first appeared in corporate reports, the focus was on reducing consumption. But Alex Money, a researcher at the University of Oxford, says this is a relative concept.

Money: “Using a liter of water in Canada is very different from using a liter of water in the Sahara.”

So Money believes that companies – especially those expanding into new markets – need to analyze water risk differently.

Money: “Getting water from where it is to where people are is the big challenge in terms of water security.”

So Money suggests companies focus on their supply chains and local infrastructure. By looking at how to deliver water to new markets in a way that’s equitable with other competing uses, companies can better analyze risk and help address global water access.