The Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) is proud to have been profiled in “Exploring the Case for Corporate Context-Based Water Targets.” This collaborative discussion paper details a new approach for setting corporate water metrics and targets. The paper was jointly authored by CDP, the CEO Water Mandate, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), World Resources Institute (WRI), and WWF.

Over the past eleven years, BIER has promoted the fundamental business imperative of water stewardship. Along with key stakeholders, BIER has developed innovative approaches, tools, and methodologies to addresses water stewardship challenges. By driving business decisions that influence the beverage industry and beyond, these initiatives work toward the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #6: ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

BIER members joined technical advisors from leading water and environmental organizations to develop a beverage sector perspective on decision making and performance measurement based on the local watershed context. BIER’s approach was originally outlined in a Concept Paper and has evolved into the methodology outlined within the recently released CEO Water Mandate discussion paper. “The beverage industry continues to propel water stewardship initiatives with this aggressive transition from a concept to a practical decision support process,” says Nick Martin, BIER Water Working Group Facilitator, and Associate Director. “While there are still challenges to collaboratively overcome (data gaps, actionable outcomes, business case), BIER is working to show that context and science-based concepts are directly applicable to business decision making for companies outside the beverage sector.”