Clean Water and Sanitation

Plastic pollution in the world’s oceans is one of the biggest threats to our environment and impacts more than 600 marine species. Discarded trash, mostly comprised of single-use plastic, accumulates in five ocean garbage patches, the largest of which is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch located between Hawaii and California.

GRI’s latest podcast episode focuses on water stewardship and how reporting can help companies manage their impacts better. Interviews with GRI's Chief of Standards Bastian Buck, Paul Reig from the World Resources Institute, and GRI Standards Manager Anna Krotova, explaining what exactly has changed in GRI's newly launched Water and Effluents reporting standard.

Jennifer Ribotti (Roque) is an environmental project engineer based in Tetra Tech’s Orlando, Florida, office. She supports municipal water, reclaimed water, and wastewater infrastructure projects and worked on the first direct potable reuse (DPR) pilot project in Florida to produce drinking water from wastewater. The purified water produced was used to create craft beers that were distributed at the 31st Annual WateReuse Symposium in Tampa, Florida. She also worked on a water treatment plant expansion project in Eagle Pass, Texas, a border community along the Rio Grande river.

The Global Reporting Initiative has released its first updated standard - Water and Effluents 2018 - which provides a holistic approach to reporting on water stewardship. Here's what you need to know about the standard.

Just as California's climate policies have driven innovation in energy efficiency, renewable energy and battery storage – creating 500,000 new jobs – many of the state’s recently enacted bills are beginning to drive innovation in water technology. State policymakers should take note.

The cornerstone for effective water management is to know one’s impacts. GRI has released an updated standard on water and effluents, with an emphasis on water stewardship. Developed with a working group of highly accomplished water experts, the standard has a basis in the Sustainable Development Goals and represents the best practice in reporting on water across the value chain.

Quadex LLC, a division of the Vortex Companies recently announced that its GeoKrete® Geopolymer mortar has received Reduced Carbon Footprint Certification by SCS Global Services, an internationally recognized sustainability certification body. GeoKrete was evaluated for its lower overall carbon footprint as it relates to potential greenhouse gas emissions from raw material extraction through manufacturing, use and end-of-life.

There is no silver bullet to solve the intractable problem of global warming. Nevertheless, there is a lot of vital and hopeful work being done to chip away at the mountain of problems human beings have wreaked on this planet. This week on Sea Change Radio, we look at two innovative ideas that are moving us in a hopeful direction.

When people think of paper manufacturing, the first natural resource that comes to mind is probably trees. But water plays an equally important role in our industry. That’s why sustainable water management is one of our top priorities.

As the world’s largest food and beverage company, Nestlé is committed to preserving resources for future generations. It aims to do so by reducing water use across its operations, using sustainably managed and renewable resources, and achieving its goal of zero waste. Ecolab’s Nalco Water business helped a Nestlé milk production plant in southeastern Brazil reduce energy use, water consumption and CO2 emissions.