Volume of water use of outsourced services
Unit
Indicator
Metric type
Framework alignment notes
AWS - The embedded water use of outsourced services shall be identified, and where those services originate within the site’s catchment, quantified.
CDP Water Security
W1.2b What are the total volumes of water withdrawn, discharged, and consumed across all your operations, how do they compare to the previous reporting year, and how are they forecasted to change.
W1.2h Provide total water withdrawal data by source
ISO 14046 - quantities of water used (including water withdrawal and release)
types of water resources used (including for water withdrawal and water receiving body)
Target example
[Company name] will reduce their overall levels of water use within their outsourced services 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
Assess
Maturity stage
Developing
Metric Contribution to Action
Monitoring outsourced water use identifies indirect consumption, enabling comprehensive water reduction strategies.
Observations, Successes and Challenges
- Outsourced services often span multiple regions, making water use data collection challenging.
- Companies need to be aware that there is a risk of double counting if they do not separate out their water use across the supply chain. E.g., If suppliers also report their water use, aggregating data at the corporate level could inflate total water use figures.
- A supplier in a water-abundant area may use more water than one in a stressed basin, but absolute volumes don’t reflect local risk.
- Data collection from outsourcing partner can be challenging.