Rockwell Automation Partners with The Water Council to Champion Water Stewardship

One of the world's leading industrial automation solutions providers, Rockwell Automation, has teamed up with The Water Council (TWC) to help international businesses advance their corporate water stewardship journeys. Rockwell will help businesses onboarded to TWC’s Water Stewardship Verified (WAVE) program to improve their water stewardship with its digital transformation solutions.

 

Water stewardship is a key element of corporate social sustainability. Image used courtesy of Rockwell Automation

 

Corporate Water Stewardship

One of the negative impacts of global climate change is the rise in global average temperatures, which positions fresh water as a valuable and potentially scarce resource. In addition to drought, contamination and flooding are other negative impacts facing the world, its inhabitants, supply chains, and business operations. Companies must be aware of this and ensure their water use is sustainable. Even in less impacted climates, unmanaged use of water resources can cause detrimental effects on other businesses, residents, and ecosystems.

Water management or water stewardship is considered an important part of corporate social sustainability (or corporate social responsibility). Businesses need to make sure that they are taking direct steps toward protecting and conserving sources of water throughout their operations. This includes tracking wastewater discharge, minimizing water consumption, and deploying technologies that can lower a company’s environmental footprint.

According to Global Water Intelligence, the main hurdle to transformative water stewardship appears to lie in how the importance of water stewardship has been and is framed. If water stewardship strategies only cover quantifying risks and implementing management toward gaining further investment, then they remain transactional. Transformative water stewardship should be framed as adding value to business operations while meeting the needs of society.

 

WAVE employs a focused methodology for promoting good corporate water stewardship. Image used courtesy of TWC

 

Water Stewardship Verified (WAVE) Program 

The corporate stewardship program from TWC, WAVE, was introduced in 2022 to support companies in their journey toward more comprehensive water stewardship. The WAVE program uses ‘The Accelerator Methodology’ to guide companies through the process of refining, reporting, and acknowledging good water stewardship. The methodology is based on international best practices and takes companies through six key steps.

Companies can steer clear of “greenwashing” labels by obtaining independent verification from the international certification company SCS Global Services. This verification adds credibility to corporate water stewardship endeavors. It also shows investors, stakeholders, and customers that companies are committed to addressing water-associated supply chain challenges while ensuring water remains accessible to all.

 

Rockwell aims to bring data integration, insight generation, and digital transformation to water stewardship practices. Image used courtesy of Rockwell Automation

 

Smart Water Management

Through the partnership, Rockwell endeavors to bring data integration, insight generation, and digital transformation to water stewardship practices.

Smart Remote Telemetry Units (RTUs) are a part of Rockwell’s smart water solution offering. Utility customers and WAVE program participants can use Rockwell’s RTU products to control and monitor water distribution systems. Water flow and pressure can be modified through the remote control of valves and pumps.

Water levels can be monitored using sensors to keep track of consumption and ensure enough is available to meet demand. Sensor data is sent to a central control center for analysis and interpretation so that appropriate action can be taken. Sensors can also detect leaks in pipework, sending information to the control center to alert maintenance teams.

Rockwell also provides network services and products, along with guidance concerning network architecture design and implementation. Securing and maintaining data transmission between machines and systems (in environments such as wastewater and freshwater management facilities) is key to ensuring their proper function and protection.

 

Sustainability at Rockwell

Together, Rockwell Automation and TWC will strive to tackle global water challenges through strategic, credible, and verified water stewardship, coupled with the latest digital transformation technologies. Rockwell’s solutions can make the most of water-related data for companies and generate insights into how best to manage its distribution and use.