When we think of scare resources, we naturally think of things like coal and oil. We are fully aware that these resources are going to run out in the not too distant future and we therefore have no choice but to find a way of living without them. However, there is a scarce Resource that we don't even think about, that we don't even acknowledge as a problem, and that we couldn't live without no matter how hard we try.
The resource I'm talking about is water, and it could prove to be one of the greatest CSR challenges of the 21st century.
Whilst you may think that water is an infinite resource that we can use and consume freely, the situation is actually far more complex than most people think. On a commercial level, water is heavily used, and it's putting a lot of strain on people who live in certain areas of the world.
To fully comprehend the scale of the issue, you must first understand the idea of 'embedded water'. This is quite simply the amount of water that was used throughout the production process to make something else. For example, to produce an Apple, it is estimated that you'll use 70 Litres of water, most probably for watering the apple tree for example. Every food item has a large amount of 'embedded water', and it's important to realise it. You may not look at a 1kg packet of beef in the same way if you knew that 16000 litres of water had gone into producing it.
The scale of embedded water is actually so great that it is estimated that every individual eats around 2000-5000 litres of embedded water every day. So if you wanted to produce every item of food you wanted to eat for a whole year, it could take between 730,000 and 1,825,000 litres of water. When you scale that up to every person on the planet, you realise that it suddenly seems to be very unsustainable.
When you combine this with unprecedented population growth, a shift towards more meat intensive diets and climate change causing erratic weather and droughts, the extent of the problem becomes very apparent.
So why is so little being done about this issue?
Quite simply, far too many individuals and organisations rely on the idea that water, like energy, is never destroyed, only transferred. For example, it doesn't break down when heated up, it evaporates and changes form. Whilst this does mean that the supply of water is relatively endless, it doesn't mean we can rely on it, and it doesn't mean that there is no cause for concern.
Instead of supply being the problem when it comes to water, the real issue is distribution. Whilst some areas of the world are being continuously flooded, others are suffering unbearable droughts. The way that we use water on a daily basis is affecting so many people all over the world, and it's our moral obligation to try and reverse those effects.
For example, approximately 1 billion people live in conditions of water scarcity, and that is expected to increase to around 3.5 billion by 2025. That's a staggering projection, and should definitely trigger a response from businesses and individuals alike.
What has to happen is a basic change in mindset. We need to stop thinking of water as an endless supply, because doing so puts us in a race to the bottom, with no light at the end of the tunnel. We need to start looking at water for what it is, a scarce resource. In doing so we can be far more conscious of the problems associated with water scarcity, and also attempt to improve the livelihood of billions of people around the world.
Notable Business
An example of a business leading the way with regards to water use is Levi Strauss. After acknowledging that water usage was a key issue for their business, they reduced it by around 96%, putting the embedded water for a pair of jeans far below the industry standard of 11,000 litres.
The resource I'm talking about is water, and it could prove to be one of the greatest CSR challenges of the 21st century.
Whilst you may think that water is an infinite resource that we can use and consume freely, the situation is actually far more complex than most people think. On a commercial level, water is heavily used, and it's putting a lot of strain on people who live in certain areas of the world.
To fully comprehend the scale of the issue, you must first understand the idea of 'embedded water'. This is quite simply the amount of water that was used throughout the production process to make something else. For example, to produce an Apple, it is estimated that you'll use 70 Litres of water, most probably for watering the apple tree for example. Every food item has a large amount of 'embedded water', and it's important to realise it. You may not look at a 1kg packet of beef in the same way if you knew that 16000 litres of water had gone into producing it.
The scale of embedded water is actually so great that it is estimated that every individual eats around 2000-5000 litres of embedded water every day. So if you wanted to produce every item of food you wanted to eat for a whole year, it could take between 730,000 and 1,825,000 litres of water. When you scale that up to every person on the planet, you realise that it suddenly seems to be very unsustainable.
When you combine this with unprecedented population growth, a shift towards more meat intensive diets and climate change causing erratic weather and droughts, the extent of the problem becomes very apparent.
So why is so little being done about this issue?
Quite simply, far too many individuals and organisations rely on the idea that water, like energy, is never destroyed, only transferred. For example, it doesn't break down when heated up, it evaporates and changes form. Whilst this does mean that the supply of water is relatively endless, it doesn't mean we can rely on it, and it doesn't mean that there is no cause for concern.
Instead of supply being the problem when it comes to water, the real issue is distribution. Whilst some areas of the world are being continuously flooded, others are suffering unbearable droughts. The way that we use water on a daily basis is affecting so many people all over the world, and it's our moral obligation to try and reverse those effects.
For example, approximately 1 billion people live in conditions of water scarcity, and that is expected to increase to around 3.5 billion by 2025. That's a staggering projection, and should definitely trigger a response from businesses and individuals alike.
What has to happen is a basic change in mindset. We need to stop thinking of water as an endless supply, because doing so puts us in a race to the bottom, with no light at the end of the tunnel. We need to start looking at water for what it is, a scarce resource. In doing so we can be far more conscious of the problems associated with water scarcity, and also attempt to improve the livelihood of billions of people around the world.
Notable Business
An example of a business leading the way with regards to water use is Levi Strauss. After acknowledging that water usage was a key issue for their business, they reduced it by around 96%, putting the embedded water for a pair of jeans far below the industry standard of 11,000 litres.
This post first appeared on Sell No Evil | Corporate Social Responsibility, please read the originial post: here
