All Articles About Water

BSR Insight Article: Responsible Engagement on Water Policy

By Gavin Power, Deputy Director, UN Global Compact

As the CEO Water Mandate prepares for its fourth working conference as part of World Water Week in Stockholm this week, we believe it is important to reflect on the broader context in which water resides—specifically, its role as a global security issue, and its relation to other critical environmental and social issues. Read more →

Posted: August 17, 2009 | Topics: Climate Change, Energy, Environment, Reporting & Communications, Supply Chain, Water

Blog: What’s in a Label? Gap’s New Clean Water Wash Messaging

Ayesha Barenblat, Former Director, Stakeholder Collaboration

Stop by any Gap Inc. store this month, and you’ll come across their new jean line—the “1969 Premium Jean”—a brand touted as “born to fit.” While these new jeans are marketed to fit and feel better, there is something extra special about this denim line: Turn the jeans inside out and you will see on the inside pocket a new “Clean Water Wash” label including a message stating that the water used to wash and dye the jeans was treated to meet safety and quality standards before being returned to the environment. Read more →

Posted: August 17, 2009 | Topics: Consumer Products, Water

Report: Water Quality and Environmental Health in Southern China

The Pearl River Delta in southern China combines abundant freshwater resources and high population density with one of the most intensive export manufacturing zones in the world. The rapid development of the area over the last 20 years has created a similar boom in water pollution discharge, which provincial environmental protection officials have been scrambling to contain. Read more →

Posted: July 28, 2009 | Topics: Environment, Water | Download (PDF)

BSR Insight Article: Corporate Engagement with Public Water Policy

As water resources become more stressed, the ecological, economic, and social risks increase, requiring a shift from technical solutions to integrated, multidisciplinary, stakeholder approaches, as illustrated in the chart above, moving from the bottom left to the upper right quadrant. Companies operating in complex environments are beginning to engage public policy processes to communicate their interests in stability and cooperation, rather than compete over a resource that is becoming scarcer over time. Read more →

Posted: July 14, 2009 | Topics: Environment, Water

Case Study: Cleaning Up Industrial Water Pollution in Southern China

In industrial regions of southern China, water pollution is an increasingly serious problem. According to the Nanfang Daily, 12.62 billion tons of polluted materials and 8.3 billion tons of wastewater were discharged into the waters off Guangdong in 2007—up 60 percent from five years ago. Perhaps most distressing, according to Guangdong officials, more than 40 percent of the province’s rural people do not have access to safe drinking water. Learn more →

Posted: June 1, 2009 Topics: Water