Earthscan Water Text
2 total works
The tangible value of increased water efficiency, reuse and recycling and improved social license to operate are moving more companies to adopt water stewardship strategies. This book frames an expanded strategy for water stewardship and business value creation, including brand value, that benefits a range of stakeholders including consumers, customers, investors and employees.
The book shows that until recently the linkage between full business value and water stewardship has been missing from the corporate agenda. This linkage and value creation from a leading water strategy is increasingly important to socially responsible investors and "aspirationals" who value companies that have a social mission or focus to their overall business strategy. In general the largest portion of a company’s market capitalization is intangible value and understanding how a water strategy contributes to this intangible value is essential.
The authors include cases studies and a framework or path forward to guide companies as they seek to build leading water strategy that goes beyond water stewardship to drive full business value from this investment. The book establishes the linkages and value from an integrated water and business strategy and an approach for companies to follow.
This book shows how digital technologies are transforming how we locate, manage, treat, distribute, and use water.
Water resources are under stress from over-allocation, increased demand, pollution, climate change, and outdated public policies. Historical approaches to delivering water for human consumption, industrial production, agriculture, power generation, and ecosystems are no longer adequate to meet demands. As a result, we need to vastly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our public and private sector processes in water management. The author describes recent advances in data acquisition (e.g., satellite imagery, drones, and on-the-ground sensors and smart meters), big data analytics, artificial intelligence, and blockchain, which provide new tools to meet needs in both developing and developed economies. For example, a digital water technology portfolio brings the value of real-time system-wide monitoring – and response – within the capability of water providers of all sizes and sophistication. As such, digital water promises to increase the long-term value of water resource assets while assisting in compliance with regulations and helping respond to the demands of population growth and evolving natural and business ecosystems.
Including many practical examples, the author concludes that digital and smart water technologies will not only better manage water assets but also enable the public sector to provide universal access to safe drinking water, the private sector to continue to grow, and ecosystems to thrive.