3M joins Water Resilience Coalition, CEO Water Mandate
On August 16, 2021, 3M (NYSE: MMM) announced its membership in the Water Resilience Coalition (WRC), aiming to address global water scarcity affecting nearly two billion people. CEO Mike Roman stated that 3M will leverage its scientific expertise to promote sustainable water supply solutions. By joining the WRC leadership committee and endorsing the CEO Water Mandate, 3M will enhance its initiatives in water management. The company plans to invest $1 billion over 20 years for environmental improvements, including advanced water purification technologies.
- 3M is committed to addressing water scarcity issues through its membership in the Water Resilience Coalition, enhancing its corporate responsibility profile.
- Planned investment of $1 billion over 20 years in environmental goals, including state-of-the-art water purification technology, demonstrating long-term commitment to sustainability.
- Achieved a 39.8% reduction in total water consumption from 2005 to 2020, indicating effective implementation of water conservation strategies.
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ST. PAUL, Minn., Aug. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 3M (NYSE: MMM) announced it is joining the Water Resilience Coalition (WRC) today, taking one more step forward in the company's ongoing commitment to help the nearly two billion people worldwide living in water-stressed and water-scarce communities.
"3M is proactively applying our science and innovation to improve the water supply used in our operations and the communities we serve," said Mike Roman, 3M CEO. "We are committed to sharing our expertise on global water solutions, and our participation in the WRC will expand and amplify our efforts."
By joining the WRC leadership committee and endorsing the United Nations Global Compact's CEO Water Mandate, 3M will be working to preserve the world's freshwater resources and achieve a net positive water impact. It will also be better positioned to advance its ongoing work to improve the environment and build a brighter future around the world.
"3M's expertise in science and creative solutions finds a significant space of opportunity in the CEO Water Mandate," said Jason Morrison, President of the Pacific Institute and Head of the CEO Water Mandate. "Additionally, by being a part of the leadership committee of the Water Resilience Coalition they also join a leading platform on water for businesses that are elevating their ambition and accelerating results through collective action on water."
3M's thoughtful approach to science and innovation has driven success for more than 100 years, and it will apply this same methodology to its collaborative work with fellow members.
Supporting communities with water challenges
In 2020, 3M's annual evaluation identified 16 facilities in extremely high water-stressed/scarce global locations, including locations in France, India, Mexico, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, and the United States. After the assessment, work began to understand current baselines and onboarding for those new sites, continuing into the first half of 2021. For example, the company began working with the Juarez (Mexico) City Water Department in 2016 to receive treated wastewater for on-site services. In 2017,
Since 2015, 3M has had a goal to engage
Reducing water use in manufacturing operations
3M is also taking steps to reduce water use and improve water quality through installation of technologies at key manufacturing sites worldwide. For example, 3M Decatur in Alabama has installed a non-contact cooling water system that connects the plant's incoming water infrastructure to local utilities. This reduces the amount of water the plant uses from the Tennessee River by more than
The work in Decatur will advance 3M's February 2021 commitment to reduce its water use
As a result of ongoing water reduction efforts, 3M's total consumption decreased
Improving the quality of water returned to the environment
3M plans to invest
Beyond investing in remediation, installation of appropriate treatment technologies, and testing water sources, 3M is committed to applying our scientific and innovative approach to advancing technologies in this field. The company will continue to collaborate with communities who have questions about the quality of their water and work to determine whether 3M is able to provide solutions.
For more information on 3M's efforts to improve the environment, visit 3M.com/sustainability.
About Water Resilience Coalition
The Water Resilience Coalition brings together some of the biggest companies in the world to help preserve the world's freshwater resources. Led by the CEO Water Mandate, an initiative of the UN Global Compact, Coalition members commit to having a positive impact in water stressed basins, to develop and implement resilient practices across their industry, and to provide leadership and advocacy in the field of water resilience. Water Resilience Coalition (ceowatermandate.org/resilience)
About United Nations Global Compact
As a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, the United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Our ambition is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the Sustainable Development Goals through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change. With more than 12,000 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in over 160 countries, and 69 Local Networks, the UN Global Compact is the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative — one Global Compact uniting business for a better world.
For more information, follow @globalcompact on social media and visit our website at unglobalcompact.org.
About 3M
At 3M (NYSE: MMM), we apply science in collaborative ways to improve lives daily as our employees connect with customers all around the world. Learn more about 3M's creative solutions to global challenges at www.3M.com or on Twitter @3M or @3MNews.
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