Many corporations have moved toward water positivity and pledged to make water net-zero their priority because many scientific studies indicate that water demands will double by the year 2030. The United Nations Environment Program UNEP has also warned about freshwater shortage estimated to be around 40% by the year 2030.

Scanty rain is as much responsible for water scarcity as resource over-allocation is. In fact, it is impacting food supply chains adversely to an alarming extent. The concerned companies can face humungous losses of billions of dollars not to mention the growing humanitarian crisis caused by water shortage.

Inger Anderson, the executive director of UNEP, stated on World Water Day that we need to seriously address the issue of water misuse and keep an eye on our activities around water resources before it’s too late.

Gradually, many corporations especially in the agri-food industry are taking the “net water positive” initiative. Though the term is not yet properly defined, in simple terms, when a commercial or residential development is net positive concerning water and/or energy for that matter, it is where they are creating more water (or energy) than they are using.

Pepsi is the first major food and beverage company to pledge net water positivity by reducing water usage by 50 percent. Pepsi has planned to decrease this further to 100 percent by the year 2030. Other corporations like Facebook and Ikea are also working towards water positivity to preserve water resources for the near future.

This is only the beginning of a better future if the net water positivity plan is executed as promised by big corporations. A lot of effort and dedication are required to take up this mantle. We can expect a conscious utilization of water resources and these companies will be on the hook for any type of liability!