ABSTRACT

Nearly every manufactured good or industrial process requires water for at least some phases of the production process: the extraction of the raw materials, processing of intermediate products (e.g. steel), manufacturing, transport, its use and maintenance, and finally its disposal or reuse. The ethics of using water for such purposes can be assessed at two basic levels. The first level is the issue of how much water is used in the production process and opportunities for reducing overall water use and impacts. These are the issues captured in the concept of “water footprint” which is discussed below. The second level addresses the products themselves, how they are used after being produced and purchased, and their “ethical utility” in terms of the four categories of ethics used throughout this book: economic, environmental, social, and cultural. The concept of “ethical utility” is discussed below in the conclusions to this chapter. An other way that companies have an impact on water, aside from the

water footprint of making the product, or the water use of the customers using those products, is through the behavior of the companies as companies. Companies can “mind their own business” and go no further than basic water footprint analysis to eliminate waste, or they can choose to engage with local communities, NGOs, or other companies in actively promoting sustainable water use beyond their company walls. For example, a company might sponsor a river festival, or a long-term water quality monitoring program, or help in stream restoration. The policy level comprises another domain where companies, either individually or collectively, have a great deal to offer the cause of water sustainability.