Ecolab's Christophe Beck at 2014 World Water Summit
On November 6, 2014, Ecolab joined an esteemed group of world leaders at The Economist’s 2014 World Water Summit in London. At the event, Christophe Beck, executive vice president and president for international regions at Ecolab, spoke about how to make the business case for water stewardship.
Water scarcity is a major challenge for communities around the world. For businesses, it is increasingly a constraint to growth. Insufficient access to clean water can significantly disrupt operations, increase costs and curtail growth. Failure to manage water-related risks can result in reduced revenues, higher operating costs, and lower investor confidence that can restrict access to capital, or result in higher financing rates or higher insurance premiums. It can also have significant implications on local communities.
Despite increasing risks, water is significantly undervalued in much of the world. The disconnect between market price and risk makes it hard for businesses to make the business case to invest in effective water strategies to protect against water-related business challenges, or to make optimal decisions about where to locate or to expand operations.
To help businesses make the case for investing in more sustainable water strategies, Ecolab developed the Water Risk Monetizer tool in partnership with Trucost, a global leader in valuing natural capital. The Water Risk Monetizer is a financial modeling tool that provides a new way for businesses to factor water scarcity into decisions that support business growth and help ensure the availability of fresh water for future generations.
