Sustaining Water, Securing Business: WRG’s Model for a Water-Resilient Future

The 2030 Water Resources Group (WRG), in partnership with global corporations and governments, is tackling water security challenges through data-driven strategies, regulatory collaboration, and large-scale investment. By implementing innovative solutions in agriculture and urban water management, WRG aims to mitigate financial and environmental risks while ensuring sustainable water access for the future.

Water security has emerged as a critical challenge for global corporations, with direct operational, supply chain, market, reputational, and regulatory risks threatening business sustainability. Organizations such as the World Bank Group, the 2030 Water Resources Group (WRG), the World Economic Forum, and the International Water Management Institute have been at the forefront of research and advocacy on this issue. The 2030 WRG, in particular, has played a pivotal role in fostering partnerships between businesses and governments to address water scarcity, ensuring that corporations recognize not just the environmental urgency but also the financial implications of inaction. Water-related risks are no longer confined to localized disruptions; they have become significant financial liabilities. Research indicates that nearly 69% of listed equities are exposed to water risks amounting to $225 billion, which could lead to substantial disruptions in global markets and industries. The WRG believes that private-sector investment in water security is not merely corporate social responsibility but a fundamental business imperative.

WRG: A Bridge Between Corporations and Policymakers

The WRG facilitates collaboration between businesses and policymakers, enabling corporations to participate in shaping regulatory frameworks and sustainable water management strategies. This approach is crucial in an era where regulatory compliance is becoming increasingly stringent, and companies that fail to address water security may face operational shutdowns, loss of consumer trust, and dwindling investment prospects. By working at both national and global levels, WRG ensures that corporations can integrate water security into their long-term strategic planning. At the country level, WRG provides companies with access to government discussions, allowing them to address bottlenecks in policy and regulation while harnessing private-sector innovation. At the global level, WRG’s initiatives focus on accelerating the adoption of climate-smart irrigation, enhancing wastewater treatment and reuse, and fostering water-secure city regions. This dual approach allows WRG to act as a bridge between corporate interests and public policy, ensuring that water security becomes a shared priority rather than an isolated concern.

A Strategic Four-Step Model for Water Security

The WRG follows a structured four-step methodology to implement its water security initiatives. The first step involves providing evidence-based insights to guide decision-making among policymakers and businesses. By leveraging world-class analytics, WRG helps frame critical choices regarding water security for agriculture, urban centers, and ecological sustainability. The second step focuses on facilitating multistakeholder platforms at the country level, where governments and businesses collaborate to develop and execute effective water management strategies. The third step emphasizes the implementation of tested and innovative solutions, drawing from WRG’s extensive experience in piloting new approaches to water conservation and management. Finally, WRG works to scale these solutions, securing financing in collaboration with the World Bank Group and other partners to ensure their widespread adoption. This four-step process has proven to be instrumental in translating policy discussions into tangible, impactful actions that address water security challenges worldwide.

Transforming Agriculture and Urban Water Management

Among WRG’s most notable initiatives is its work in India to promote the transition to sustainable rice cultivation, a sector that accounts for 30% of global freshwater use and contributes 12% of anthropogenic methane emissions. As the second-largest rice producer in the world, India faces significant challenges in balancing agricultural productivity with water conservation. WRG is supporting the state of Uttar Pradesh in its ambitious plan to reach one million small farmers over five years, implementing measures such as increasing the area under micro-irrigation fivefold and scaling up direct seeded rice cultivation tenfold. These efforts are expected to lead to a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, showcasing how targeted interventions can drive sustainability while maintaining agricultural output. This initiative is a prime example of how WRG collaborates with governments and businesses to create scalable, high-impact solutions that benefit both economic and environmental priorities.

In South Africa, WRG has played a key role in addressing water security in the Gauteng city-region, which accounts for one-third of the country’s GDP and a quarter of its population but suffers from an insufficient water supply. WRG has facilitated the establishment of the Gauteng Water Security Partnership, a collaborative initiative between government agencies and the private sector aimed at reducing water demand by 10% in the short term. This reduction is expected to help bring the water system into balance while also ensuring that businesses and residents have sustainable access to water resources. A key aspect of this initiative is securing financing for demand-reduction strategies through an innovative competitive process led by the private sector. By aligning economic incentives with water conservation goals, WRG is demonstrating how market-driven approaches can complement public policy efforts to achieve long-term sustainability.

The Future of Water Security: A Call for Action

The impact of WRG’s initiatives is evident in the numbers. The group has mobilized over $1.6 billion in funding, engaged more than 1,000 partners across various sectors, and implemented 12 innovations in 13 countries. Collectively, these efforts have resulted in the conservation of one billion cubic meters of water, highlighting WRG’s effectiveness in driving measurable change at a global scale. However, the growing pressures of climate change, population growth, and urbanization mean that much more remains to be done. WRG continues to seek partnerships with corporations, governments, and research institutions to further expand its reach and accelerate the adoption of water-secure practices. Businesses that proactively engage with WRG’s initiatives not only mitigate their own risks but also contribute to a more sustainable global economy.

As industries face mounting challenges related to climate change and resource scarcity, investing in water security is no longer optional—it is a necessity. WRG’s model of collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and scalable solutions offers a viable path forward for businesses that recognize the need for resilience in an increasingly water-stressed world. By aligning corporate strategies with sustainable water management, companies can safeguard their operations, protect their reputations, and drive long-term value for shareholders and stakeholders alike. Water security is not just a government responsibility; it is a shared challenge that requires coordinated action from the public and private sectors. WRG’s ongoing efforts provide a compelling blueprint for how such collaboration can lead to impactful and lasting change.