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Total Fresh Water Withdrawn in Regions with High or Extremely High Baseline Water Stress

REFERENCE
3.1.2
CATEGORY
Water & Wastewater Management
METRIC
Total Fresh Water Withdrawn
UNIT
Megaliter (Ml)

Definition

This metric tracks the total volume of water that the organization withdrew in high or extremely high baseline stress water areas across the world in the last calendar year.

Expanded Definition

The GRI defines water withdrawal as the “sum of all water drawn from surface water, groundwater, seawater, or a third party for any use.”

The GRI defines water stress as the “ability, or lack thereof, to meet the human and ecological demand for water.” The GRI further defines a high stress area as one where there is an inability to “meet the human and ecological demand for water.”

The World Resources Institute’s (WRI) Water Risk Atlas tool, Aqueduct, classifies locations with 40–80 % or >80 % Baseline Water Stress as respectively High and Extremely High stress areas. The Aqueduct tool examines all water-related risks, categorizing them into three groups: Physical Quantity, Quality and Regulatory, and Reputational Risk. In the tool, higher values indicate higher water risk.

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

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