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About the benchmark

This is the second benchmark report evaluating water stewardship practices and capturing trends among the 71 companies on the Valuing Water Finance Initiative focus list in the two years since the first assessment. This report assesses how these companies from four water-intensive industries— food, beverage, apparel, and high-tech—are making progress toward achieving the 2030 ambition of the Corporate Expectations for Valuing Water.

Download the 2025 methodology and the dataset to learn more. 

This report makes it clear that companies are advancing water stewardship, although progress across the expectations is uneven and isn’t happening fast enough. As 2030 nears, the assessment points to how companies can strengthen strategies for addressing water risk and build resilience, keeping the Corporate Expectations for Valuing Water at the forefront of their efforts. 

The 2025 assessment highlights the following key findings

• Companies continue to focus on water quantity, but only half target high-risk areas

• Corporate action on water quality remains insufficient 

• Inclusion of local context in water risk assessments remains limited 

• Water use and discharge disclosures are growing, though impact assessments still trail behind  

• Companies are engaging in freshwater ecosystem projects, but few set targets to ensure positive impacts  

• Sustainable sourcing strategies are evolving, but monitoring of freshwater outcomes remains weak 

• Most companies have yet to embed WASH considerations into corporate strategies  

• Companies are improving board oversight of water risk and governance incentives 

• Water risks and opportunities remain insufficiently integrated into business planning  

• Few companies use internal water pricing to integrate water into business planning 

• Companies are improving public policy engagement, but gaps remain 

• Corporate water stewardship strategies can play a greater role in advancing justice and equity for communities   

• Companies have yet to ensure collective action initiatives directly support water targets

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^{The data and information provided as part of the Valuing Water Finance Initiative Benchmark (hereafter “Benchmark”) is not intended to constitute or form the basis of any investment advice. The Benchmark is for informational purposes only and is based on the best available information at the time of analysis. Ceres cannot guarantee the accuracy of the data as it is aggregated from multiple sources. It is for individual organizations and stakeholders to determine the most appropriate ways in which the Benchmark can be helpful to their organization.}   

^{Ceres does not accept any liability for any claim or loss arising from any use of, or reliance on, the data or information. The Benchmark may only be used for non-commercial purposes and any replication or republication of the Benchmark by third parties is not permitted without Ceres’ express prior written permission. When using or referencing the data, attribution to Ceres and the Valuing Water Finance Initiative Benchmark as the source is required.}   

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