3M highlights net positive water impact pilot

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 11 October 2023 – 3M highlighted a collaborative pilot program for water-stressed basins and a direct air capture technology during Climate Week NYC. In a series of engagements, the company shared how its science is driving climate innovation and advancing improvements in its own operational footprint.

“At 3M, we recognize the urgency for delivering scalable climate solutions across various industries,” said Dr. Gayle Schueller, 3M senior vice president and chief sustainability officer. “Climate Week NYC provides us with the platform to ideate and strategize alongside fellow climate champions, prioritizing how we can expedite implementation of science-based solutions for this pressing global issue.”

At the CEO Water Mandate UNGA Corporate Water Stewardship Half-Day Event on Wednesday, Sept. 20, Dr. Schueller discussed 3M’s participation in the first net positive water impact (NPWI) pilot program for the Water Resilience Coalition (WRC). The company will be collaborating to reduce water stress in target basins on three dimensions: availability (quantity), quality, and access—applying takeaways from the NPWI Piloting Workshop it hosted at World Water Week in August. The WRC program will also assess how NPWI is best evaluated, informing a guidance document that will be published in January 2024 and made available for companies around the world to operationalize.

“The Water Resilience Coalition’s net positive water impact program will provide critical insight for our work across 100 priority water-stressed basins around the world, and the resulting guidance materials will help scale global adoption of our ambitions,” said André Villaça Ramalho, Water Resilience Coalition Coordinator. “As a leadership member, 3M provides vital support and expertise to the coalition—accelerating measurable watershed outcomes and building long-term water resiliency.”

Accelerating the global reduction of water use by 3M

The NPWI pilot program builds on work within 3M to reduce overall water use—targeting a 25% reduction by 2030—and return higher quality water to the environment after use in operations. 3M is accelerating progress toward these goals through process improvements and the installation of new technologies and reached a 16.8% reduction in water use at the close of 2022 (benchmarked to 2019 levels).

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