Water Is Being Used by Corporations as the Newest Way to Look "Socially Responsible"

Even critics of World Water Week, held annually in Stockholm, Sweden, agree that it's an important forum where thousands of people working on water issues share information.

This year's event, held from August 16 to 22, placed special emphasis on the relationship between water and climate change. The closing statement (pdf) was literally a message to COP15, the major United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, this December. "Water is a key medium through which climate change impacts will be felt," it reads, adding that "water-related adaptation" should be seen as part of the solution. The statement also calls for funding "to assist vulnerable, low income countries already affected by climate change," along with longer-term adaptation efforts.

So why are there critics of World Water Week? In a word, Nestlé.

In 2007, not only did the world's largest bottler of water sponsor World Water Week, but speakers were also given bottled water to drink. Civil society groups protested and the plastic bottles disappeared, but Nestle did not. The 2009 event was again sponsored by Nestle, along with Sweco, a sustainable engineering and design company offering "solutions for water supply, wastewater treatment, solid waste management and site remediation"; Black & Veatch, an engineering, consulting and construction company that calls itself "one of the world's foremost providers of solutions for energy and water needs"; and the charitable arm of Femsa, "the largest beverage company in Latin America."

In other words, World Water Week has become an opportunity for companies selling water, beverages, and water and sanitation services to grab a seat at the table, as water practices and policies are discussed. It must also be a networking gold mine, where companies can pitch their services to government representatives from around the globe.

Another example of the creeping corporate influence is an international public opinion survey released to coincide with this year's World Water Week. The survey, which received media attention, found that more than 90 percent of respondents consider "water pollution" and "a shortage of fresh water" to be serious problems. The summary of survey results interpreted respondents' identifying both governments and companies as responsible for ensuring clean drinking water as "indicating that [public-private] partnerships are an important component to resolving the world's fresh water sustainability challenges."

The survey was funded by the Molson Coors Brewing Company.

Molson Coors wasn't the only beer company lifting a frosted mug to World Water Week. SAB Miller paired with the environmental group WWF on a report presented at the event. After studying the water use, or "footprint," for Miller beers made in South Africa and the Czech Republic, the report concluded that "the total water involved ... is overwhelmingly used on the farm rather than in the brewery." Conveniently for SAB Miller, WWF added that "beer's water footprint is relatively small, with a recent Pacific Institute study finding that coffee, wine and apple juice all have water footprints more than three times that of beer."

Somehow, promoting beer as a less water-intensive beverage choice doesn't quite seem to meet the World Water Week goal of "advancing the water, environment, health, livelihood and poverty reduction agendas."

Carrying water for corporate social responsibility

World Water Week is only one way in which corporations seek to promote themselves as good "citizens" on water issues.

Molson Coors is a good case study. The beer maker recently partnered with Circle of Blue, which describes itself as an "international network of leading journalists, scientists and communications design experts." Molson Coors also belongs to the Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable, a corporate attempt "to define a common framework for [environmental] stewardship" -- without any pesky regulatory agency or independent watchdog groups present.