
Advancing Water Stewardship
Water is essential to our operations, products and services. The sustainable management of water resources is fundamental to our business.
We believe in the importance of water in protecting the environment, human health and economic development in our local communities. Through our stewardship, we aim to identify and support opportunities for our company and customers to use water resources in ways that are socially and culturally equitable, economically beneficial and environmentally sustainable.
Water Stewardship at Ecolab

Ecolab’s Smart Water Navigator helps organizations execute localized corporate water strategies to increase business and community resilience.

With unique expertise in water quality and management programmes and solutions, we’re driven to help customers advance efficient operations and responsible growth.

Water is a key part of our 2030 Impact Goals, which focus on the impact we can make in our company, communities and world in the next decade.
In 2020, Ecolab announced our membership in the new Water Resilience Coalition, an industry-driven initiative of the UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate.
Driving a Net-Positive Water Approach in Our Own Facilities
Our vision of a water-resilient future relies on tangible action. For Ecolab, that means continuing to drive corporate water management with our customers, while also identifying opportunities to implement water stewardship projects in our own operations.
To continue to make progress toward our 2030 Impact Goal of achieving a net-positive water impact, Ecolab has prioritized water stewardship projects at our sites with the aim of improving the overall health of the local watersheds. Our projects will use a three-pathway strategy to achieve a net-positive water impact by:
- Delivering outcomes through the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Standard
- Increasing water-use efficiency, reuse and recycling via Ecolab solutions and digital technologies
- Protecting local watersheds
Our Three-Pathway Strategy:

Ecolab is a founding member of the AWS. The AWS standard empowers sites with a five-step framework to address site-related water challenges and manage risk. Sites are required to reach out to stakeholders to discuss shared water challenges, forming relationships with the communities in which they operate.

Managing 1 trillion gallons of water annually, Ecolab’s team of experts is skilled in helping customers identify and implement water reduction, reuse and recycling solutions that support watersheds in the locations where we operate.
Through Ecolab solutions like 3D TRASAR™, Water Flow Intelligence and digital tools like the Smart Water Navigator, we support smart water management practices to reduce demand and improve water quality while optimizing costs at the facility and organizational level.

We work with partners to understand the shared water challenges in their local basin and address them with nature-based solutions.
Watersheds face a variety of risks, including water scarcity and water quality, accelerating impacts of climate change and loss of local species.
Our water stewardship plans outline the actions we will take within our plants, as well as the communities in which we operate.
Water Stewardship Project Highlights
The following case studies showcase our Ecolab plants that have received AWS certification:
Our Partnerships
Our partnerships with leading nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) strengthen our understanding and ability to impact global challenges facing our business, customers and communities. Our key partnerships include: