The Innovation Wave: Why Smart Businesses Are Investing in Water Resilience

What is Your Business Without Water?  

It seems like a simple question, until you realise the answer could cost trillions. The World Resources Institute projects that by 2050, one-third of global GDP – roughly US$70 trillion – will come from regions facing high water stress, and water-related disasters have already racked up over US$4 trillion in losses since 1970.  

Capgemini and the World Climate Foundation partnered to examine how leading companies are responding to water risk across technology infrastructure, construction, food services, and agri-industrial operations. 

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From Risk to Opportunity 

Water is moving from a local risk at the margins of ESG reporting towards the centre of corporate strategy. Emerging standards and disclosure frameworks, such as those from CDP or the Alliance for Water Stewardship, are helping companies put a real number on water, linking usage, impact, and risk in ways that investors and regulators can finally understand. Adoption remains uneven, but the direction is clear. These frameworks are reinforcing a critical shift in mindset: water is no longer just a line on the utility bill, it is a boardroom-level challenge shaping operational resilience, investment decisions, and long-term survival. 

Across the interviews conducted for this report, one theme surfaced repeatedly: leaders are moving from treating water as “cheap and available” to managing it as a shared, finite resource that requires the same discipline as energy, cyber risk, or financial risk. 

What is making waves?  

• Strategic valuation: against the unrealistically low price of water, leading companies are beginning to develop internal pricing approaches that account for scarcity and pollution risks. 

• Innovation matters: water efficiency and reuse technologies now produce measurable savings, particularly through the redesign of water-intensive manufacturing processes. 

• Digital is key: sensors, AI, and digital twins transform water into actionable, data-driven intelligence, enabling better risk management and credible disclosures that attract investors. 

• Finance follows facts: investors reward verified water strategies supported by strong governance. 

The next decade is not about pledges; it is about delivery. Companies that can show real improvements in water use and restore natural flows will earn stronger investor confidence, lower operational risk, and deeper community trust.  

Those that fail to adapt will face escalating volatility and shrinking resilience. 

Explore our report to see what decisive water leadership looks like.