Corporations As Custodians of the Public Good? : Exploring the Intersection of Corporate Water Stewardship and Global Water Governance

This book provides a comprehensive assessment of how local corporate water strategies influence global water governance objectives. In various geographies, companies spearhead a quest for more sustainable water management within and beyond their own operations. This book critically examines such strategies and provides an overarching analysis of the effects that mounting corporate involvement has had on the global water discourse. More specifically, it explains why companies from the food, beverage, textile, and mining sectors have started to incorporate water management objectives into their business strategies, how companies work in partnerships with other stakeholders to realize these objectives, and how these actions acquire wider political legitimacy. It presents insightful interview material from business leaders and other high-level stakeholders. Readers will gain the necessary knowledge to develop a critical view and respond appropriately. Front Matter ....Pages i-xxiii Introducing Corporate Water Stewardship in the Context of Global Water Governance (Thérèse Rudebeck)....Pages 1-17 Front Matter ....Pages 19-19 Understanding the Enabling Environment (Thérèse Rudebeck)....Pages 21-55 The Rise of Corporate Water Stewardship (Thérèse Rudebeck)....Pages 57-80 Front Matter ....Pages 81-81 Companies and Water Resources Management (Thérèse Rudebeck)....Pages 83-106 Companies and Water Sanitation and Hygiene (Thérèse Rudebeck)....Pages 107-130 Front Matter ....Pages 131-131 Corporate Legitimacy in Collective Action (Thérèse Rudebeck)....Pages 133-157 Corporations and the Shaping of the Global Water Agenda (Thérèse Rudebeck)....Pages 159-179 Imagining Pathways Forward: Corporate Water Stewardship and the Future of Global Water Governance (Thérèse Rudebeck)....Pages 181-196 Back Matter ....Pages 197-198