Water is vital for sustaining life and is crucial in the manufacturing processes that support our society and global economy. Effective water stewardship is essential, and the chemical industry plays a key role in advancing sound water management practices.
As water scarcity and quality issues become increasingly pressing, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and our members are seeking opportunities to address these challenges. ACC members are continually assessing their operations and surrounding water bodies for potential impacts and embracing water stewardship as an integral part of their business and sustainability strategies.
To demonstrate actions our member companies are taking, ACC leadership sought to develop a set of principles that illustrate ACC’s and its members’ water stewardship initiatives. We’re excited to share that the ACC Board of Directors approved the Water Stewardship Principles at its November board meeting.
Although they do not set requirements or establish standards for ACC members, the Principles focus on four areas that provide the foundation for ACC’s Water Stewardship Program:
- Undertaking effective water management practices, including compliance with relevant regulations, understanding company water usage, and working to mitigate water-related risks.
- Recognizing water as a shared resource and engaging with stakeholders on water stewardship and enhancing water accessibility and quality.
- Using transparent methodologies to report on water issues such as consumption, withdrawal, discharge and reuse and incorporating local concerns into risk assessments. Through our Responsible Care®initiative, ACC members track, manage and publicly report water use.
- Collaborating with external stakeholders to mitigate water risks across the value chain, reducing stress on water resources and improving water quality and quality in their facilities and communities.
ACC member companies have positive stories to tell—from working with diverse community stakeholders to reduce stress on shared water resources, to conducting Water Body Risk Assessments at their facilities, to innovating the products and technologies that help enhance water quality in the U.S. and around the world. By publicly communicating these principles and member company actions, we can demonstrate the vital role that the chemical industry is playing in advancing important water priorities.
