All Articles About Water

BSR Insight Article: Business Leadership Needed for Sustainable Water Solutions

Speaking last week at a conference on worldwide industrial and urban challenges for sustainable water management, Professor Jeffrey Sachs, director of Columbia University's Earth Institute, emphasized the need for business to work with scientists and civil society to find solutions for the world's global water challenges. Read more →

Posted: November 10, 2009 | Topics: Economic Development, Strategy & Integration, Water

Blog: Provide Access to Water and Sanitation? That’s the Easy Part

Linda Hwang, Former Manager, Research

How much water does it take to make development happen? Read more →

Posted: November 9, 2009 | Topics: Water

BSR Insight Article: The State of Sustainable Business

For a snapshot on the state of sustainable business, take a look at our brief report from the BSR/GlobeScan survey of nearly 300 business leaders at the BSR Conference 2009. Highlights include: Read more →

Posted: November 3, 2009 | Topics: Climate Change, Environment, Human Rights, Strategy & Integration, Water

BSR Insight Article: Sustainable Business Models: Time for Innovation

Imagine that when you buy a pair of jeans you’re offered an agreement to sign before you pay: “I hereby promise to cold-wash, line-dry this clothing item, and own it for at least three years or ensure it is given away for someone else to enjoy.” When you sign, you are rewarded instantly with a coupon for cash back. The rebate is the estimated financial value of the carbon-dioxide emissions you save by avoiding hot-water washing, and by machine drying your jeans over the lifespan of the item. The clothing company is able to provide this discount by aggregating its consumers’ carbon credits and selling them on the open market. This model provides financial incentives for both the clothing company and the consumer to alter behavior. Read more →

Posted: November 3, 2009 | Topics: Consumer Products, Ecosystem Services, Environment, Financial Services, Food, Beverage & Agriculture, Information & Communications Technology, Materiality, Media & Entertainment, Mining, Strategy & Integration, Water

BSR Insight Article: Another Year, Another Drought: Water Scarcity in China’s Manufacturing Zone

Reports that 50,000 people in southern China (and at least a million more in the western and central regions) are suffering from a severe drought underscores a perennial question about the impact of water shortages in the country: How can companies with supply chains and manufacturing in China reconcile the water needs of their business with competing demands from industry, agriculture, and local residents? Read more →

Posted: October 20, 2009 | Topics: Human Rights, Supply Chain, Water