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Total Fresh Water Consumed, in Megaliters

REFERENCE
E3.2.1
CATEGORY
Water & Wastewater Management
METRIC
Total Fresh Water Consumed
UNIT
Megaliter (Ml)

Definition

This metric tracks the total volume of fresh water that the organization consumed in the last calendar year.

Expanded Definition

Water consumed is distinct from water withdrawn, as it tracks the water used by an organization such that it is “no longer available for use by the ecosystem or local community.” The GRI defines water consumption as the “sum of all water that has been withdrawn and incorporated into products, used in the production of crops or generated as waste, has evaporated, transpired, or been consumed by humans or livestock, or is polluted to the point of being unusable by other users, and is therefore not released back to surface water, groundwater, seawater, or a third party over the course of the reporting period.”

Where there is a conflict with how local laws and regulations define fresh water, the local regulation where the entity is operating will apply.

(Note: 1 Megaliter = 1,000 cubic meters)