The Cement Sustainability Initiative of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development has launched a new Global Water Tool for the cement sector.
The tool integrates global water data for groundwater, surface water and precipitation. Once a site location is entered, the tool automatically identifies a water stress area and its biodiversity hotspots, and will generate maps and charts of the company's operations. Using the tool is a crucial first step for companies striving to better manage their water use.
The Global Water Tool (GWT) was first launched by the WBCSD in 2007. Since then, more than 300 companies have used the tool to map their water use and assess their water risk by identifying geographic areas of water scarcity, and undue stress on water sources at a global scale. The tool has since been customized for two other business sectors (oil and gas and power utilities) and one global region (India). The commitment by CSI members to develop this tool demonstrates how companies are taking a risk-based approach to addressing this issue.
CH2M HILL has played a role in development of the CSI Global Water Tool which will allow cement companies to assess the risks of operating in water-stressed regions and helps them manage water use more efficiently and sustainably by producing maps and charts that identify water scarcity and biodiversity hotspots.
“The cadre of GWTs has been helping companies identify their most significant water-related risks and impacts, assess management plans and report water performance,” said Carlo Zaffaroni, CH2M HILL Industrial Water and Process Director - Europe. “The new tool, customized for the cement sector, enables cement companies to actively address their water challenges on a global and local scale so they can make informed business decisions related to sustainable water management.”
CH2M HILL has been involved with assisting the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and a consortium of companies in the development of water businesses tools since 2007 with the launch of the first GWT. The Local Water Tool was developed out of the Global Environmental Management Initiative to help companies define local water risks at specific operating sites and a customized LWT for the oil and gas industry was developed with IPIECA in 2011.
The latest CSI tool extends this capability to cement companies so they can manage their water use and risk management globally. All of the water business tools are designed to work together to ensure the user’s ability to transfer data between tools for a comprehensive water risk assessment.
Like the GWT and LWT, the new CSI tool is a free, interactive tool that may be downloaded by users to their own computer systems. More than 300 companies use the business tools to report their water use.
Click here to access the CSI tool
Click here for information about the Global Water Tool
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