Emirates Nature-WWF has called on all businesses in the UAE to monitor their water consumption and support the preservation of natural resources by implementing the simple Alliance of Water Stewardship "how-to" guide on sustainability in the workplace.

The guide outlines the core elements that make up a strong and measurable water-saving strategy that can reap meaningful benefits for the nation.

By developing a water stewardship strategy that takes into consideration the role of water within an organisation, businesses can audit their current usage and develop a plan of action to manage water sustainably and responsibly.

In the UAE, water-saving efforts can pay off financially in as little as 1.5 years, and the five-step framework, developed by the Alliance of Water Stewardship, begins with the assessment of current water usage either through self-assessment or third-party auditing, followed by the development of an overarching goal and a tailored plan of action.

To ensure that the results are documented, the framework recommends measuring progress periodically and evaluating the performance, in addition to sharing efforts, results and lesson internally in the organisation.

Organisations stand to reduce their environmental footprint, safeguard local sources of water, increase operational efficiency, minimise operating costs and mitigate future water supply risks.

Laila Mostafa Abdullatif, Director-General of Emirates Nature-WWF, said, "Reducing the business footprint allows you to strengthen your corporate reputation amongst customers and colleagues while measuring and documenting water savings allow you to serve as a model for other organisations in the country."

While a lack of resources, time, knowledge and dedicated water management staff can make it harder to get started, 10 percent savings can be achieved simply by engaging employees in energy and water conservation practices.

The process of measuring and documenting water-saving initiatives is of vital importance and can be completed through another simple process, which includes drafting a situation analysis that captures the background of the organisation’s actions and providing an understanding of the breadth of their water-saving initiatives.

The next step suggests that the report should ideally begin with a baseline that reports the entity’s progress against key indicators. To ensure maximum efficiency for the coming years and to serve as a model for other organisations, the framework recommends capturing the key lessons learned.

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