Introduction

Water insecurity is rapidly emerging as one of the defining economic and ecological challenges of this decade. Global freshwater demand is projected to outstrip supply before 2030, and freshwater systems have already surpassed safe planetary boundaries. In addition, as much as 60 percent of global GDP depends on reliable access to water, positioning water not only as an environmental issue but as a foundational resource for economic activity and business continuity.

Within this context, the food, beverage, and agriculture sector is particularly exposed. Accounting for roughly 70 percent of global freshwater withdrawals, it is one of the most water intensive sectors worldwide. For companies operating in increasingly water stressed regions, water use efficiency is widely recognized as one of the most immediate and controllable levers available, making it a critical issue that companies can proactively address.

What Is the Water Use Efficiency Index

The Water Use Efficiency Index is a benchmark designed to help companies measure, compare, and improve operational water performance. Launched jointly by Ecolab and CDP, the Index aims to provide a clear, data driven view of what best in class operational water use looks like for specific industries.

A defining feature of the Index is its provision of sector specific ranges for water use efficiency and optimized target levels. This enables companies to understand where their operational water use stands relative to peers within the same industry. Rather than relying on theoretical benchmarks, the Index is built on actual corporate disclosure data and real world operational insights.

The initiative begins with a pilot focused on the beverage and brewing segments of the food, beverage, and agriculture sector, one of the most water intensive industry groups globally.

Purpose of Launching the Water Use Efficiency Index

The purpose of the Water Use Efficiency Index is to clarify what best in class operational water use looks like within specific industries and to enable companies to understand their own position through peer comparison. By making performance ranges visible, the Index helps companies identify opportunities to improve water use efficiency based on industry grounded data.

Importantly, the Index does not prescribe outcomes or define financial objectives. Its role is limited to supporting understanding, comparison, and identification of efficiency improvement opportunities.

Data Driven Benchmark Design

The Water Use Efficiency Index is built by integrating multiple data sources. These include more than 10,000 annual corporate water disclosures collected through CDP, operational insights from millions of customer locations across 40 industries and 170 countries provided by Ecolab, and relevant data from leading industry organizations.

By combining these datasets, the Index defines best in class water use efficiency benchmarks at both the facility level and the enterprise wide level.

For the beverage and brewing segments within the food, beverage, and agriculture sector, the benchmarks are as follows.

Sector	Level	Best in Class Water Use Efficiency
Beverage (Carbonated Soft Drinks)	Facility level	1.2 to 1.4 liters of water per liter of product
Beverage (Carbonated Soft Drinks)	Enterprise level	1.5 to 1.8 liters per liter
Brewing	Facility level	1.4 to 2.0 hectoliters of water per hectoliter of product
Brewing	Enterprise level	2.0 to 3.0 hectoliters per hectoliter

What the Index Means for Companies

For companies, the Water Use Efficiency Index serves as a reference point for understanding operational water use data within an industry context. By comparing facility level water use against sector benchmarks, companies can objectively assess where they stand relative to peers.

The Index also supports the translation of water monitoring data into actionable insight, allowing companies to more systematically consider where efficiency improvements may be possible and how to prioritize next steps using comparable, industry based information.

Conclusion

The development of the Water Use Efficiency Index represents a step toward advancing collective corporate action on water related challenges. By providing a shared, data driven reference point, the Index has the potential to support broader industry engagement, encourage alignment across companies, and contribute to ongoing efforts to address water risk through improved water use efficiency over time.

To translate these industry level benchmarks into sustained corporate action, companies need robust systems to consistently capture and manage water related data. In addition to carbon accounting, ASUENE enables companies to visualize and manage water data across their operations. This includes not only water withdrawal and discharge volumes, but also water quality, usage and disposal methods, and intensity metrics on a per unit basis.

By making total water use, year over year changes, and reuse rates visible, ASUENE supports efforts aligned with the 3Rs of water resource management: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Combined with industry benchmarks such as the Water Use Efficiency Index, this data foundation can help companies strengthen the quality of their water security efforts and advance more practical, ongoing responses to water related risks.

Why Work with ASUENE Inc.?

ASUENE is a key player in carbon accounting, offering a comprehensive platform that measures, reduces, and reports emissions. The company serves over 10,000 clients worldwide with an all-in-one solution that integrates GHG accounting, ESG supply chain management, a Carbon Credit exchange platform, and third-party verification.

ASUENE supports companies in achieving net-zero goals through advanced technology, consulting services, and an extensive network.