{"id":33826,"date":"2021-11-19T19:49:04","date_gmt":"2021-11-20T00:49:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.greenmoney.com\/2025\/?p=33826"},"modified":"2021-11-20T12:05:14","modified_gmt":"2021-11-20T17:05:14","slug":"new-ceres-report-feeding-ourselves-thirsty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.greenmoney.com\/2025\/new-ceres-report-feeding-ourselves-thirsty\/","title":{"rendered":"New CERES Report: Feeding Ourselves Thirsty"},"content":{"rendered":"
>> Back to December 2021 Issue<\/a><\/div>\n

Most food companies are not taking the necessary action to reduce their demands and impacts on freshwater resources, further worsening the global water crisis, according to a new report released recently by the sustainability nonprofit Ceres.<\/h3>\n

\"CERESThe new report, Feeding Ourselves Thirsty<\/a>, is a benchmark analysis of 38 food companies, that shows some encouraging signs of progress on corporate water management, but underscores that much more work needs to be done by companies to help ensure sustainable water supplies. The average company received 45 points out of 100 on water management, and the meat industry still lags considerably behind the pack, with meat industry companies scoring an average 18 points. Overall, Ceres\u2019 analysis found companies do not have adequate practices in place across categories of water management, including governance structures, risk assessment, target setting and implementation actions.<\/p>\n

Food companies are uniquely vulnerable to the water crisis, as growing and processing food consumes more than 70% of the world\u2019s increasingly strained water resources. Without proper management and disclosure of water-related risks, companies increasingly face market, financial and reputational risks, and lose out on new market opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cFood companies are lagging in taking the appropriate water action, and are fundamentally unprepared for a more water-stressed world,\u201d<\/em> said Kirsten James, director of water at Ceres. \u201cAs Feeding Ourselves Thirsty shows, companies must move more quickly and more boldly to value water and better manage the related risks in their direct operations and global supply chains. Strong water management and disclosures will ensure the continuity of food production, while improving companies\u2019 long-term profitability and return value to investors.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

The report comes on the heels of new dire predictions<\/a> from the Intergovernmental\u00a0 Panel on Climate Change that forecast even more intense water stress than previously predicted, underlining the urgency for companies to do their part to take necessary water stewardship action. Companies have a business imperative to act as the intensifying effects of the climate crisis places an increasingly intense strain on water resources and agricultural productivity, placing the future of the $6 trillion global food sector in jeopardy.<\/p>\n

To determine each company\u2019s water management practices, Ceres used voluntary corporate disclosures from CSR and sustainability reports, company responses to CDP water add climate change questionnaires, and mandatory financial disclosures in the analysis. Ceres evaluated food companies in four industries with the highest exposure to water risks: Agricultural Products, Beverages, Meat, and Packaged Foods. These industries include some of the largest U.S.-based and publicly traded companies, as well as a small number of large private and non-U.S. companies.<\/p>\n

Agricultural supply chains, which contain the bulk of the food sector\u2019s exposure to water risks, stand out as an area in need of critical improvement. Less than half of the companies analyzed performed robust water risk assessments (inclusive of water quality) that focus on their agricultural supply chains. Highly-stressed areas in these supply chains are not getting the attention they need from companies – only a handful of companies have implemented water use reduction targets or provided support for farmers in high-stress water basins.<\/p>\n

This is the fourth edition of Feeding Ourselves Thirsty<\/strong>. Since Ceres began tracking this information in 2015, some companies have shown steady improvement. 71% of companies now consider water risks as part of their major business planning activities and investment decisions, up from 58% in 2019. More than half of companies (53%) tie executive compensation to water and sustainability performance (up from 33% in 2019), and 87% of companies are providing educational support to farmers to encourage adoption of practices that reduce impacts and dependence on water (an increase from 70% in 2019).<\/p>\n

The top scoring companies, out of a possible score of 100, by industry were: Coca-Cola with 90 (Beverage); Unilever with 83 (Packaged Food); Cargill with 67 (Agricultural Products); and Tyson Foods with 37 (Meat); Coca-Cola, Anheusier Busch, and Unilever top the list of highest overall scores.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are pleased to be this year\u2019s top scoring company,\u201d<\/em> said Michael Goltzman, Vice President, Global Policy & Sustainability at Coca Cola. \u201cOur 2030 Water Security Strategy focuses on increasing water security for our business, supply chain and in the communities where we operate. Importantly, we prioritize our investments based on an in-depth understanding of water-related risks at a watershed level, contextualizing our targets to address local risks while focusing on the water used to produce our agricultural ingredients.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n