Sustainability of the Global Water Supply: An Exploratory Study of International Managers’ Perspectives

Sustainability of the Global Water Supply: An Exploratory Study of International Managers’ Perspectives Dr. Coral R. Snodgrass Dr. Ronald M. Rivas Professors – Canisius College Buffalo, NY 14208 Abstract submitted to: 27th Annual IAJBS World Forum/ 2022 CJBE Annual Conference Washington, DC, USA July 17-19, 2022 Number Six on the list of the Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations in 2015 is “Clean Water and Sanitation”. Goals set for the achievement of clean water include the following two: • 6.3 By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally • 6.4 By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity These two goals are ones that international business decision makers can most directly impact. While there is some evidence that global companies such as PepsiCo and Dannon have undertaken projects to reduce their water wastage and have made efforts to replenish the water supply, there is still much that industry could do. And it may be in the best interests of corporate decision makers to turn their attention to the 2030 goals set by the United Nations because there is increasing evidence that shareholders are willing to put pressure on managers to address the issues of climate change and the social impact of business operations. This study examines the perspective of two sets of international managers: one set from Brazil and one from South Korea. We surveyed the managers’ perspectives on items that might improve the sustainability of the world’s water supply. Our analysis highlights factors in the strategic environment of business and identifies potential avenues for business decision makers wanting to positively impact the sustainability of the global water supply.