The Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) launched this Wednesday, the 24th, the publication “Water Risk Management in Brazil and the Business Sector: Challenges and Opportunities”, during the Water Security Seminar, at FIESP headquarters, in Sao Paulo.

Marina Grossi, president of CEBDS, participated in the opening panel of the event and highlighted the importance of integrated management of water resources. “The relationship between water, food and energy needs to be thought of in an integrated and convergent way. The publication we are launching today shows the business sector's commitment to the topic and provides examples that need to gain scale. It is important to emphasize that, increasingly, we have to adapt and use this resource more consciously.”

Participating in the opening table were Rafael Cervone Netto, 1st vice-president of CIESP, Nelson Pereira dos Reis, vice-president and main director of the Environment Department of FIESP and CIESP, Carlos Augusto Gadelha, Secretary of Production Development at MDIC, Antônio Félix Domingues, general manager of Articulation and Communication at ANA, Walter Lazzarini, president of the Superior Council for the Environment at FIESP and Lieutenant Brigadeiro de Azevedo.

The debate among those present focused on the water crisis experienced in the Southeast region since 2013 and its interdependencies, bringing to light the discussion on long-term planning, water resources management and the need to include water security on the agendas of both the government and companies and society.

For Antônio Felix, the crisis has its positive side. “We will come out of this crisis differently from the way we entered it, as Brazil’s legal apparatus is undergoing a test due to water stress.” Rafael Cervone reiterated the message: “We are not experiencing a problem of lack of water but rather a problem of resource management, planning and investment”.

Water security is a vital factor for business continuity. Problems in water supply can result in significant production losses, increased costs with impacts on competitiveness and loss of license to operate. Poor management of this resource at the corporate level also increases the risks of not complying with legal standards and compromises the organization's image.

The publication launched by CEBDS shows that the adoption of a structured water risk management process can reduce organizations' vulnerabilities in relation to water supply, conflicts with local communities and other users of water resources, as well as problems with supply. of raw materials with a water-intensive life cycle.

It also outlines a general overview of the sector, points out the risks of not managing water resources, and makes the connection between food, energy, climate change, ecosystems and the business sector. After this overview, it presents the concepts of water risk management, highlights the risks, the existing tools and shows step-by-step how the manager can incorporate them into their company.

The document is now available for download. Click here.