Water Neutrality

Water neutrality is achieved when an entity reduces its direct and indirect water footprint and, through verified projects, compensates the remaining volume to achieve a net-zero or positive impact on water availability and quality.

Steps to achieve water neutrality

1. Full measurement according to ISO 14046, including the critical supply chain (> 75% of the footprint).
2. Internal reduction: targets ≥ 20% within five years.
3. Replenishment/offsetting in high-stress basins (AWARE > 20).
4. Verification and annual reporting (AWS, CDP Water).
5. Transparency: publish methodology and audit.

Key metrics

• Replenishment ratio
  • Definition: m³ replenished / m³ consumed
  • Neutrality threshold: ≥ 1.0
• Footprint coverage
  • Definition: % of the water footprint included in the calculation
  • Neutrality threshold: ≥ 95%
• Certified projects
  • Definition: % of the offset volume certified under WBCSD / Gold Standard
  • Neutrality threshold: 100%

Pioneering cases

• Microsoft: 2030 goal to replenish 1.5× its global consumption; already replenishes 420 hm³/year (2024).
• Coca-Cola: water neutrality achieved in 2015; maintains a global ratio of 1.1.

Tangible benefits

• 40% reduction in operational risk in critical basins.
• Improved CDP Water score from B to A-.
• Annual CAPEX savings in water treatment equivalent to 8% of sales (mining-sector example).

Water neutrality goes beyond marketing: it is a corporate-resilience strategy that aligns business operations with SDGs 6 and 12.