8 Corporate Water Stewardship: Lessons for Goal-based Hybrid Governance Takahiro Yamada
Corporations are increasingly becoming an important element in global environmentalism. They are not only publicizing their own eco-friendly business operations and products, but they are beginning to hold themselves more accountable for the actions of their suppliers as well. Moreover, they are increasingly partnering with international institutions, governments, and civil society organizations alike to address goals of global sustainability. Nowhere is this effort more pronounced than in the area of water. According to a recent scientific analysis, global fresh water use is one of the three critical earth system processes that are rapidly approaching planetary boundaries (Rockström et al. 2009). In fact, it may not be long before we cross the planetary boundary for water, as the demand for freshwater is currently projected to exceed its supply by 40% in 2030 (2030 Water Resources Group 2012, 5). While the water scarcity problem is essentially a local problem (Whiteman, Walker, and Perego 2012, 314), its cumulative effect can be felt globally even in water-abundant countries. Furthermore, because water is so essential for life, water resource management also has a moral aspect. Universal access to safe drinking water has therefore been on the UN agenda ever since the UN Water Conference in Mar del Plata, Argentina in 1977. However, after more than two decades of endeavor, it became clear that the goal of universal access to safe drinking water was as remote as ever. This led to the inclusion of water access as one of the targets for Millennium Development Goal 7. As will be discussed below, corporations became involved in the process of realizing this target strictly on their own volition. It is this target for water that initially interested them, not other targets or goals. The issue of water therefore provides an excellent case study to understand the role of corporations in global environmental governance. Not only has the environmental behavior of corporations long remained understudied (Whiteman, Walker, and Perego 2012, 309), but the political
