In 2023, Cargill was recognised by Ceres as “on track” in advancing water stewardship in its Valuing Water Finance Initiative Benchmark. Cargill received the highest percentage of available points demonstrating progress on water stewardship among the companies assessed. The recognition was for the company’s performance relative to the ambition of the Valuing Water Finance Initiative’s Corporate Expectations for Valuing Water, which are aligned with the U.N. Global Compact CEO Water Mandate’s six commitment areas and the U.N.’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals for Water.
The Initiative’s Corporate Expectations outline six water ambitions for companies to reach by 2030 in areas such as access to water and sanitation, public policy engagement, and water quality. The benchmark evaluated water stewardship practices among 72 companies from four water intensive industries including food, beverage, apparel, and hi-tech.
In the report, Cargill is recognised as one of the few companies that has set water quality targets for the supply chain. The six expectations include:
- Water quantity
- Water quality
- Ecosystem protection
- Access to water and sanitation
- Board oversight
- Public policy engagement
This recognition is based on the commitment to enable a water positive impact in Cargill’s operations, supply chains, and communities by 2030, which includes engaging in collective action projects, promoting regenerative agriculture within the supply chain, and safeguarding or rehabilitating critical habitats.