#SustyTalk: Ecolab’s chief sustainability officer on water stewardship

#SustyTalk is all about keeping edie’s loyal readers connected to sustainability leaders across the world, whilst reminding us all that sustainability and climate action must go on through the current cost of living crisis and beyond. It launched in the early stages of the pandemic in 2020 and has continued since then, keeping us connected to the leaders who are continuing to drive sustainable business and climate action.

For this latest #SustyTalk episode, edie’s deputy editor Sarah George is in conversation with Ecolab’s chief sustainability officer, Emilio Tenuta.

After a round of introductions, Emilio kindly shares his learnings on how mission-led companies – those set up to provide products and services for good – can create and implement robust environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies to go above and beyond their purpose.

He also provides tips for businesses looking to forge meaningful partnerships on issues at the intersection on social and environmental sustainability, such as water stewardship and universal access to water and sanitation. Ecolab is one of the partners for the Water Resilience Coalition’s Water Access Fund, a $140m blended finance initiative to provide five million people with access to water, hygeine and sanitation. Other partners include Starbucks and Reckitt.

Emilio says: “We reported during the launch of the Water Resilience Coalition in 2020 that 150 of the largest companies have the ability to impact one-third of the freshwater use on the planet, when you consider their supply chains as well. Adopting smart water management programmes is a benefit to organisations on a number of fronts. Consuming less water lowers our water scarcity risk and it also saves energy, which obviously impacts greenhouse gas emissions.

“In the end, I think it’s about understanding the business implications and the societal impacts we can potentially have in coalition… we can’t do this alone.”

This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to forge partnerships for sustainable development – even with competitors, or with players in industries that you don’t often collaborate with.

Click here to see our catalogue of #SustyTalk interviews

Want to be featured on a future episode of #SustyTalk? Email newsdesk@fav-house.com. Please bear in mind that our interview calendar is now booked for June and July.