The Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP) is announcing a new collaboration with The Water Council (TWC) to support the organization in the development of a water stewardship program for the automotive supply chain.
SP provides a forum for global automotive manufacturers and their suppliers to work together toward a shared vision of an automotive industry with positive environmental impact. Through SP, industry leaders are coming together to share best practices and advance action on key environmental sustainability priorities such as carbon neutrality, sustainable materials management, and water stewardship.
The Water Council, an internationally acclaimed nonprofit organization dedicated to freshwater innovation, is a leader in water stewardship with more than a decade of collective experience working with companies.
In the first phase of this new project, which is being co-chaired by Ford Motor Company and Toyota Motor North America, SP’s Water Stewardship Work Group will work together with The Water Council to test the design of a sector-wide water stewardship program that is centered on a decision matrix and action plan that helps member organizations achieve excellence in their water stewardship performance.
“Ford believes that access to safe, clean water is a basic right and that we have a responsibility to use and manage water sources efficiently and sustainably to make sure our operations do not adversely affect other users’ access to water. While Ford has made significant strides in water reduction across our own sites, we recognize there is tremendous opportunity to work together with our industry peers and suppliers to drive further collective action in support of global water challenges,” said Andy Hobbs, Global Director, Environmental Quality Office, Ford Motor Company.
“Toyota recognizes water as a global challenge that must be managed locally, and we strive to minimize and optimize water usage across our sites based on local conditions. We are looking forward to collaborating with other industry partners through this new project to enhance our industry’s collective efforts to conserve and protect water resources and further drive water stewardship practices through the supply chain,” said Mark Yamauchi, Sustainability Manager, Toyota Motor North America.
In 2022, SP will work with The Water Council to pilot and test a sector-wide water stewardship methodology that would be designed to eventually help member companies to: identify water-related risks that impact priority sites; understand their impact on their source waters and watersheds; prioritize risks and consider opportunities for action; develop water stewardship strategies, commitments and targets based on prioritized risks and opportunities; and, communicate water stewardship commitments, actions and metrics to key stakeholders and customers.
“In supporting the development of a Water Stewardship Program that SP can implement collaboratively with its members, we intend to chart a credible and transparent path for individual companies to follow leading toward meaningful enterprise-wide water stewardship strategies, commitments and actions. Further, we expect companies within the supply base will be better prepared to report to their customers and key stakeholders on the status and outcomes of their water stewardship performance,” said Matt Howard, Vice President Water Stewardship, The Water Council.
“Through this project, we intend to build an industry-supported leadership framework to help companies in the automotive value chain identify and prioritize water-related risks and understand potential water stewardship strategies and actions they can implement based on those prioritized risks and opportunities. We look forward to collaborating with The Water Council as an expert partner to help support our members’ ongoing efforts to conserve and protect this critical resource,” said Kellen Mahoney, Director, Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP).
To learn more about this new water stewardship project for the automotive supply chain and opportunities to get involved as an SP member, please visit https://www.supplierspartnership.org/waterstewardship.
About SP
Since 2002, Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP) has been a leading forum for global automotive manufacturers, their large and small suppliers, the US EPA and other government entities from around the world to work together toward a shared vision of an automotive industry with positive environmental impact. Learn more at: https://www.supplierspartnership.org/
About TWC
The Water Council is a global hub dedicated to solving critical water challenges by driving innovation in freshwater technology and advancing water stewardship. Built on more than a century of water innovation, it has coalesced one of the most concentrated water technology clusters in the world from its headquarters at the Global Water Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Recognizing the need for smarter and more sustainable use of water worldwide, The Water Council also promotes water stewardship as a natural complement to water innovation.