Pioneering Corporate Water Stewardship
Water stress is now a boardroom risk. Collective action is the answer.
We bring global companies and their CEOs together to drive bold, coordinated action against the planet’s water crisis.
Collective action underway in 35 of 100 priority basins, home to more than 3 billion people.
Source: Water Action Hub, Q3 2026
Active collaboratives
Collective action, basin by basin
California Water Resilience Initiative
A Coalition basin collaborative
A private sector-led initiative to reduce, reuse, and restore water across California, responding to a projected 10% water supply gap in the world's fifth-largest economy.
Explore on Water Action Hub (opens in a new tab)Impact and progress
1M
Acre-feet per year target by 2030
2023
Launched, first WRC basin
70
Curated projects in portfolio
$24M
USD invested to date
Leadership: Ecolab (Basin Champion) · General Mills (Basin Leader) · LimnoTech (Technical Advisor)
Mississippi River Water Action Collaborative
MRWAC · 5 Sub-basins · 2035 Target
Uniting stakeholders to fund and advance water stewardship projects across the Mississippi River Basin, one of the world's most critical watersheds.
Explore on Water Action Hub (opens in a new tab)Impact and progress
24M
Acres under stewardship by 2035
5
Major sub-basins
3,900B
Gallons per year water benefit by 2035
119K
Tons per year nitrogen reduction by 2035
Leadership: 3M · Ecolab · Meta · Nutrien · LimnoTech · America's Watershed Initiative · Nature for Water · Pacific Institute
Rio Grande / Bravo Water Action Collaborative
Manos del las Aguas · Transboundary · 2030 Target
A transboundary initiative across the US and Mexico, building collective action on shared water challenges.
Explore on Water Action Hub (opens in a new tab)Impact and progress
150K+
Target WASH beneficiaries
5K m³
Potential relief, first year
10
Curated projects in portfolio
60K m³
Annual industrial gap target, 2030
Leadership: Heineken (Basin Leader) · Fundación FEMSA · Xylem · Global Water Challenge
Why executives are joining
Three questions every C-suite conversation starts with
01
Why water, and why now?
Global demand already exceeds supply by 56%. By 2030, demand could outstrip supply by 40% more. “Day Zero” scenarios are emerging across regions that host critical supply chains. At least 69% of all climate adaptation investment will focus on water.
02
Why collective action?
Just 150 companies impact one-third of global freshwater supply. A single company acting alone cannot de-risk an entire basin, but a coalition of companies in the same basins supporting proven solutions can build water resilience at scale.
03
Why the WRC?
An independent, CEO-led initiative with 50+ committed peers. The WRC is the leading global platform for corporate water stewardship, present at WEF Davos, UNGA, Stockholm World Water Week, and COP. This is where the corporate water agenda is shaped.
The risk landscape
Water risk is real, and intensifying
56%
Projected global freshwater deficit by 2030 if nothing changes, according to the World Resources Institute.
Source: World Resources Institute
The data is unambiguous. Water stress is no longer a future risk. It is a present operational, financial, and reputational reality for global businesses.
Global water demand currently exceeds supply by 56%. “Day Zero” scenarios, where city water systems run dry, are no longer hypothetical; they are emerging realities in basins where your suppliers operate.
Coalition members
Your peers are already here
Our roadmap
Four pathways to water resilience
Thought Leadership
Developing the tools, guidance, and frameworks companies need to act on water, including the Positive Water Impact (PWI) methodology, regulatory crosswalks (CSRD, SBTN), and implementation support at every level.
Collective Action
A single company alone cannot de-risk an entire basin. Many acting collectively can. The WRC supports 9 active basin collaboratives (California, Mississippi, Rio Grande/Bravo, Godavari, Arno) and is activating 10 more in 2026.
Innovation & Technology
New technologies bring new water solutions. The WRC and Water Action Hub now monitor 15 basins with AI and remote sensing, tracking groundwater, water balance, and governance, scaling to 35 activated basins by end of 2026.
Investment & Financing
Philanthropic and direct project funding alone will not be enough to achieve our 2030 ambition. The WRC has developed a pathway to identify and catalyze innovative finance and impact investment opportunities that address corporate water risk and enable capital efficiency to drive impact at scale across our priority basins and WASH access goals.
Membership
Engage at the level right for your organization
WRC membership is structured to meet companies where they are, from general membership to CSO Advisory Board leadership. Annual membership fees are tiered by company revenue.
Membership
General Membership
Membership
CSO Advisory Board
2026 global moments
Where we shape the global water agenda
WRC is present at the highest-stakes forums where water, business, and policy intersect
January
World Economic Forum
Davos, Switzerland
February
GreenBiz 26
Phoenix, AZ
June
AWS Global Forum
Edinburgh, Scotland
August
World Water Week
Stockholm, Sweden
September
UNGA and Climate Week
New York, NY
November
COP 31
Location to be announced
Mark Cassalia
WRC Business Engagement Manager
Pacific Institute / Water Resilience Coalition
mcassalia@pacinst.org