Total volume or percentage of water (total, freshwater or other) reduced, reused or recycled

Unit : Cubic meters (m³), Percentage (%)

Indicator : Wastewater treated, reused/recycled, avoided, water replenishment and sustainable water use

Metric Type : Response

Frameworks alignment notes

Voluntary (additional) TNFD A3.2 - Total volume (m³) or percentage of water (total, freshwater or other) reduced, reused or recycled
Mandatory 2.1 Onsite water circulation: Q water use - Q total water withdrawal/ Q total water withdrawal +1
Mandatory AWS 3.7.1 Indirect water use targets: Volume and % reduction achieved
Voluntary P2 Water replenished, restored, or regenerated: Total volume of water replenished, restored or regenerated (volume unit/year)
Voluntary Table 1: Operationa water reuse/recycle volumes for all sites (as an aggregated total)

Target example

1) [Company name] will increase its water recycling capacity so that [target amount in ML/year] are recycled by [target year]. 2) [Company name] will increase its water reuse capacity so that [target amount in ML/year] is reused by the [target year] 3) [Company name] will reduce its water use by [target percentage]% by [target year] compared to a baseline of [baseline percentage]% in [baseline year].

Target Source: WBCSD target template

Metric assessment

Relevance: High

Feasibility: Low

Additional Metric Notes

ACT-D stage: Disclose Maturity stage: Advancing Metric Contribution to Action: Measuring water reuse and recycling quantifies progress toward reducing overall consumption. This also contributes to site-level risk and opportunity evaluation, especially in water-scarce regions. Observations/Sucesses/Challenges: > The metric is measurable, providing clear targets for water reduction, reuse, and recycling efforts. > Without a clear baseline, it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of water reduction efforts. Companies might claim reductions without a proper comparative standard. > Water that is reduced may not always be of good quality for reuse or recycling, making the volume of reduced water less meaningful without quality metrics. > Leadership commitment is a key success factor for advancing this metric. Without strategic prioritization of water efficiency and circularity, progress is limited.

Related Actions

Avoid unsustainable resource use

Avoid unsustainable resource use

Description