Water recycling & reuse
Closed-loop systems, reclaimed wastewater, produced-water reuse
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The same issue. Different numbers.
Companies do not necessarily report the same information in the same way.
Corporate water reporting often contains substantial information, but the underlying definitions, units, and boundaries differ from company to company.
These differences do not always represent poor reporting. Some reflect legitimate differences among industries. The challenge is distinguishing necessary flexibility from inconsistency that prevents meaningful comparison.
Differences encountered
- 01water withdrawal versus consumption versus generic “water use”
- 02gallons, liters, megaliters, barrels, and cubic meters
- 03water-intensity denominators
- 04water-stress and water-risk classifications
- 05WRI Aqueduct, WWF Water Risk Filter, and company-specific methodologies
- 06organizational and facility reporting boundaries
- 07recycling and reuse calculations
- 08measured results versus projected savings
What companies are actually doing
Stewardship is evaluated through completed activities, not only targets.
These categories recur across the disclosures H2Oversight reviews. Their relevance varies by company and sector — none is universally the right approach.
Process efficiency
Cooling upgrades, manufacturing optimization, lower-water technologies
Monitoring & leak detection
Smart meters, sensors, digital water-management systems
Wastewater treatment
Membranes, biological treatment, pollutant removal
Alternative water sourcing
Rainwater, reclaimed municipal water, brackish water, condensate
Watershed restoration
Wetlands, rivers, forests, aquifer recharge
Irrigation efficiency
Drip irrigation, optimized landscaping, agricultural water systems
Community water & WASH
Water access, sanitation, community infrastructure
From corporate reports to international standards
A minimum global corporate water-disclosure core.
H2Oversight uses evidence from 125 corporate disclosures to identify where current water-reporting practices converge and where they remain incompatible.
The objective is not to create another competing ESG framework. H2Oversight examines how existing systems can become more interoperable.
GRI 303
SASB / ISSB
CDP Water Security
CSRD / ESRS
UN Global Compact CEO Water Mandate
ENCORE
WRI Aqueduct
WWF Water Risk Filter
H2Oversight’s policy approach: standardize what must be comparable while preserving flexibility where industry context genuinely matters.
Universal core
Common quantitative water disclosures across companies
Sector-specific extensions
Additional metrics appropriate to different industries
Transparent methodology
Clear definitions, units, boundaries, and water-risk assessment methods
An international audience
Research developed for international sustainability and policy audiences.
H2Oversight is developing its research for international sustainability and policy audiences and has initiated dialogue with representatives connected to the United Nations Global Compact and OECD regarding corporate water disclosure, reporting consistency, and the use of H2Oversight datasets.
Dialogue in progress · No endorsement, partnership, or adoption is implied.