WASH Pledge: Guiding Principles a Business Commitment to WASH
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
WASH Pledge: Guiding principles A business commitment to WASH In collaboration with 22 WASHWASH Pledge:Pledge: GuidingGuiding principlesprinciples Contents Foreword | 4 Summary | 5 Introduction | 6 WBCSD Pledge for access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene | 9 Guiding principles | 10 Guidance on water, sanitation and hygiene at the workplace | 13 WASH at the workplace: points of reference for WASH Pledge self-assessment | 13 1. General 13 2. Workplace water supply 14 3. Workplace sanitation 15 4. Workplace hygiene and behavior change 16 5. Value/supply chain WASH 17 6. Community WASH 17 Educational and behavior change activities | 18 WASH across the value chain | 20 WASH Pledge self-assessment tool for business | 24 3 WASH Pledge: Guiding principles Foreword Today, over 785 million people healthier population and increased and quality, within their operations are still without access to safe productivity.3 and across their value chain, in drinking water, another 2.2 billion all global markets. As employers lack safely managed drinking A proposed first step in and members of society, we water services and an estimated accelerating business action is for encourage businesses to 4.2 billion lack access to safely companies to commit to WBCSD’s commit to the Pledge to ensure managed sanitation services.1 Pledge for Access to Safe Water, appropriate access to safe water, This is incompatible not only Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH sanitation and hygiene for their with the World Business Council Pledge). This Pledge aims to have own employees, thus making a for Sustainable Development’s businesses commit to securing direct contribution to addressing (WBCSD) Vision 2050, where nine appropriate access to safe WASH one of the most pressing public billion people are able to live well for all employees in all premises health challenges of our times. 4 within the limits of the planet, but under direct company control. also with the United Nations (UN) On behalf of the WASH4Work This publication includes a set human right to access to drinking partners. of guiding principles that will water and sanitation. Accelerated support companies in their action is urgently needed to efforts to implement WASH at the address these issues. workplace – an essential first step Background The original WASH Pledge for businesses supporting global There is a compelling and clear was developed by WBCSD objectives related to drinking economic case for businesses in collaboration with its water, sanitation and hygiene. This to demonstrate leadership by partners and published in document also provides guidance addressing this situation. Many 2013. The Pledge focused and tools to help businesses businesses have operations, on companies making a assess their WASH conditions at employees, contractors and commitment to address the workplace, as well as along its customers in countries lacking WASH in all premises under value chain, including suppliers access to basic water, sanitation direct company control within and surrounding workplace and/or and hygiene (WASH). Economic, three years. Companies worker communities. social and environmental impacts were also encouraged to of not having access to WASH As you read through the guiding advocate for WASH across can lead to various illnesses and principles and begin to assess their value chain, employee fatalities, impair productivity and and implement WASH within your homes, communities and restrict markets for some products operations, we encourage you to supply chains. This updated and services. share your experiences with us version retains the original purpose of the WASH Pledge. The business cost arising from so that others can benefit from Additionally, it includes a preventable WASH-related what you have learned. In this revised assessment tool diseases alone can be significant.2 rapidly evolving global economy, with indicators that will Public health and resilience of local where social license to operate, enable companies to clearly and global economies is seriously reputational risk and access to measure their progress and affected by these negative natural resources have become find gaps in WASH access. impacts on human resources, increasingly important to success, The Pledge also provides not to mention by the serious WASH should be a key aspect additional information environmental damage caused of any company’s sustainability and tools to support to water polluted by untreated strategy. companies in addressing human waste. It need not be this Forward-looking businesses WASH along their value way: it is estimated that for every are transitioning from water chain and communities and USD $1 invested in water and management to addressing move beyond advocacy sanitation, USD $4.3 is generated sustainability, which includes – to assessment and in returns through avoided costs, a addressing WASH, water scarcity implementation. 4 WASH Pledge: Guiding principles Summary WHAT IS THE WBCSD necessitates that workers also to the health of their workers have access to water, sanitation and the broader environment, WASH PLEDGE? and hygiene services at their and the potential risks of Access to drinking water and places of work. The WASH Pledge inaction. The WASH Pledge is sanitation is a human right. The provides a tool for companies one among several approaches UN Sustainable Development to ensure access to WASH at to making improvements to Goal (SDG) 6 focuses on the workplace, along their value WASH in workplace settings. ensuring equitable access to chains and in the communities in Other approaches include water and sanitation for all, with which they are located and where the WASH4Work initiative, an emphasis on improving the their workers live. For companies and the International Labour standards of WASH services signing the WASH Pledge, this Organization’s WASH@Work through increased treatment, document outlines a process handbook. Businesses are recycling and reuse of to achieve the established encouraged to explore these wastewater, improved efficiency standards or “points of reference” resources to increase their and sustainable withdrawals, for WASH at their work sites. It understanding, as well as learn and protection of water-related also provides critical information about other tools available ecosystems, in an integrated on why WASH is a business to them to support their approach to water resource imperative, the benefits of WASH, assessment and implementation management. Universal access not only to businesses but also efforts. 5 WASH Pledge: Guiding principles Introduction PROVISION OF ACCESS TO SAFE WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE: A BUSINESS IMPERATIVE Companies can make direct • Adequate access to safe as the UN SDGs and the UN improvements to productivity water, sanitation and hygiene human right to water and and employee morale, as well at the workplace is associated sanitation.9 as public health and wellbeing, with decreased absenteeism, by providing and maintaining reduced workplace accidents, Expanded markets, and safe drinking water, appropriate improved productivity and an more vibrant existing sanitation and hygiene facilities, increase in available workers. markets, for products combined with education and • Reduction in water-related and services awareness-building activities. The illnesses lead to reduced • It is estimated that for every latter can also provide the impetus short- and long-term USD $1 invested in water for improvements in the larger healthcare costs for and sanitation, USD $4.3 community and thus make an employees and employers.7 is generated in economic impact on a much broader scale. returns through avoided costs The tangible business benefits and improved productivity.11 Demonstration of associated with improved access Countries with higher leadership by businesses to safe WASH at the workplace percentages of the population • Accelerating programs to include: with access to safe water and increase access to safe sanitation are likely to enjoy drinking water and sanitation higher growth. Healthier and more in both rural and urban productive employees settlements was one of four • In developing countries, • 60 % of global diarrhea deaths key business water messages providing safe drinking water were attributed to unsafe at the UN Conference on to an additional 10 % of the water, inadequate hygiene and Sustainable Development population increases per- sanitation in 2016.5 (Rio+20).8 capita GDP growth by more than 2 % per year.12 This • Loss of productivity to • Ensuring workplace water, increase in economic value water and sanitation-related sanitation and hygiene can lead to more healthy diseases can cost countries contributes to achieving 6 consumers with a disposable up to 5 % of their GDP. international objectives such income. 6 WASH Pledge: Guiding principles strategies with public policy highlighting business benefits, Stakeholder engagement objectives and drive multi- it is also important to highlight the to achieve common goals stakeholder initiatives towards risks associated with inaction: • Implementing access to common goals. safe WASH for employees, surrounding communities At premises under direct and the value chain can allow Potential risks associated company control: companies to align their with inaction engagement efforts with their Water and sanitation have Increasing costs emerged as a prominent sustainability programs, and Inherent in providing safe access business and public sector issue lead to intangible benefits to WASH, is a reliable and in recent years,