The Business Engagement Water Forum was held this Tuesday (25/04), in Brasília (DF), and brought together experts and companies from different sectors to discuss a key topic: the efficient management of water resources in a scenario of scarcity . The debaters brought a series of experiences that have been developed for this purpose, but were unanimous in pointing out that greater integration between civil society, governments and the private sector is needed so that the actions already underway can be improved, gain scale and serve as a basis to create new solutions.
The event, which attracted around 110 people to the Ulysses Guimarães Convention Center, was an initiative of the Sustainability Focal Group of 8th World Water Forum, carried out by the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) with sponsorship from braskem It is Coke.
At the opening, the president of CEBDS and also leader of the Forum's Sustainability Focus Group, Marina Grossi, highlighted that the dilemma of abundance and lack of water, arising from climate-environmental problems or poor or lack of management, deepens in Brazil, making this topic increasingly discussed.
“We know that a large part of the challenge lies not necessarily in the field of technology development, but rather in the field of communication, sharing and training. Therefore, we held this event to bring the business sector closer together and, at the same time, engage them in 8th World Water Forum, which will take place in 2018 in Brazil. These are ideal spaces to discuss how to expand the potential of these solutions”, he stated.
The president of the World Water Council, Benedito Braga, also participated in the opening and highlighted the importance of the business sector. “Given the scale of the water challenges, the business sector needs to engage in considering sustainable practices in the use of water such as recycling, reuse, increasing the efficiency of water use in its production processes”, he said.
After the opening of the event, three panels were held: Water Security (risks, access and climate change); Allocation and Supply (scenario and projections, circular economy and cities); and Development (finance, water in agriculture and industry).
Check out the opening and the first panel of the event:
Water Security
In the first panel, mediated by journalist Giuliana Morrone, Braskem's Sustainable Development manager, Mário Pino, spoke about the project Aquapolo which, between 2014 and 2016, allowed the company to reuse 25 million m³ of water, freeing up the consumption of drinking water for the Greater ABC region, in São Paulo, in a volume equivalent to 10 thousand Olympic swimming pools. Pino, however, stated that much more effort is still needed to guarantee water security. “The worst solution is to do nothing, the best solution is to involve everyone”, he highlighted.
The professor at the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), José Antônio Marengo, highlighted that natural phenomena are happening more frequently and it is necessary for the population not to think that water is infinite. “If we don’t prepare for the present, imagine the future” he reflected.
The Director of Shared Value at Coca-Cola do Brasil and director of the Coca-Cola Brazil Institute, Pedro Massa, highlighted the importance of cooperation in the private sector and cited the integrated work between Coca-Cola and Ambev, competitors in the beverage market, but who work together to protect springs in the Piracicaba, Capivari and Jundiaí (PCJ) river basins. “This is a cause greater than any business vanity. The sector has the potential to develop a single agenda”, he maintained.
Allocation and supply
In the second panel of the event, also moderated by Morrone, the Project Coordinator of the 2030 Water Resources Group / International Finance Corporation (IFC), Júlia Cadaval, presented the hydro-economic analysis tool used by the project 2030 Water Resources Group to create a portfolio of solutions involving financial intuitions. “We don’t want the platform to be just for discussion, but rather to generate concrete actions and results that help engage governments and companies in an integrated way,” he added.
The advisor to the president of the Water Supply and Sanitation Society (Sanasa), Adriana Leles, spoke about her company's work in Campinas, a city that currently treats 92% of its sewage, a very high rate by Brazilian standards. Adriana Leles defended the creation of goals and standards for sanitation. “Currently Brazil does not have [goals]. Regularization could help minimize inequalities between cities in this area”, he explained. 
World Business Council For Sustainable Development (WBCSD) senior advisor Philippe Joubert explained the connection between water and energy. “Water is essential for energy, especially for thermoelectric plants. In India, thermoelectric plants are already closing due to a lack of water, not coal”, he explained. Another topic highlighted by Joubert was the problem of groundwater pollution, the responsibility for which is shared by different actors who, often, do not talk to each other. “The situation is dramatic, we have no data and the sheets have no borders. This is a topic that I suggest for discussion by the Sustainability Focus Group, which I see as fundamental and urgent”, he pointed out during the panel.
Water in agriculture, industry and finance
Moderated by the coordinator of the Industrial Water Resources Network of the National Confederation of Industry (CNI), Percy Soares, the last panel was opened by the speech of the president of the Abimaq Equipment and Irrigation Sector Chamber, Marcus Henrique Tessler, who highlighted the Agriculture consumes a lot of water, but the return on spending is positive. “20% of the irrigated area corresponds to 40% of food produced” he explained.
Tessler stated that the increased discussion around the topic of water and the series of concrete initiatives that have been developed around the world are reasons to make him optimistic. “There are companies today that have agronomic divisions within them that only take care of the correct use of water resources”, he exemplified.
Itaú's Sustainability Manager, Maria Eugênia Taborda, pointed out that the Brazilian water crisis of 2014 and 2015 helped banks to advance in studies of the impacts caused by water scarcity. “According to the study carried out by Itaú, the economic impact of the drought in the country would be 1% on the Brazilian GDP,” he said. She highlighted that the financial sector is increasingly incorporating water risk assessment into its business and spoke about the use of the tool Water Stress Testing, in a project developed by GIZ in collaboration with CEBDS. “We concluded that, in Brazil, 60 to 90% of companies would have a down rating [if the water risk were computed]”.
In order for these evaluation processes to be improved, Maria Eugênia Taborda advocated that companies and governments evolve in their goals, indicators and reports for water management. “We need more transparency and data so that we can look not only at the history, but also measure the evolution of this management”, he declared.
Ambev's sustainability manager, Andrea Matsui, highlighted that her company reached the level of brewery with the most efficient use of water in Brazil, reducing water capture at a manufacturing unit in Jaguariúna (SP) by 25%. “We then came to the conclusion that the next step was to share solutions and we made it available online for free, for small and medium-sized companies from various sectors, Water Efficiency Self-Assessment System (Saveh)", he said. Andrea Matsui also spoke about the project Water Loves, where 100% of the profit obtained from the sale of mineral water is reinvested in generating water for needy communities.
At the end of the event, WWF Global's Water Director, Karin M. Krchnak, thanked everyone for participating in the event, praised the initiatives displayed there and the willingness of the business sector to contribute to such an urgent issue around the world. “The private sector must be seen as part of the solution. Water is a common good and we will find sustainable solutions through collective action”, he concluded.
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