Policy statement

IWG is aware of the increasing importance and scarcity of freshwater as a resource, as well as climate change inflicted risks such as flooding and drought. We recognise that water is a shared natural resource and is critically important to our operations, employees, customers and to the communities in which we operate.

At IWG, we strive for sustainable water management practices throughout our global operations in order to minimise our water footprint, ensure water conservation, and promote efficient water usage.

IWG operates over 3,400 centres in more than 1,100 cities located in 120 countries. The majority of the centres we operate are within buildings owned by other parties and are often multi-tenanted buildings. This creates the necessity to address a variety of regulatory, market and practical matters as we implement our policies. IWG is committed to working diligently in cooperation with our partners, including our landlord’s and building owners to achieve and maintain compliance with our policies and respect of our guiding principles.

Compliance and Legal Requirements

IWG is dedicated to complying with all applicable water-related laws, regulations, and standards in the regions in which we operate. We recognise that legal compliance is a foundation for responsible water management.

Our guiding principles

Our guiding principles are reflected in how we operate our centres, and also affects how we manage our supply chain. We strive to follow best practices from the UN CEO Water Mandate and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

1. Accountability: We take responsibility for our water usage and impact, recognising that sustainable water management is a shared responsibility amongst stakeholders. We understand the importance of protecting the environment and are aware of the water management challenges related to climate change.
   
   
2. Efficiency: We actively prioritise water efficiency by minimising consumption, optimising water use, and adopting best practices and technologies to reduce waste, prioritising water stressed areas.
   
   
3. Conservation: We actively promote water conservation, encouraging responsible use and raising awareness about the importance of preserving this precious resource.
   
   
4. Compliance: We adhere to all applicable laws, regulations, and permits relating to water usage and quality - surpassing minimum requirements when possible. We also recognise that access to fresh water and sanitation services is an essential human right. Therefore, we support efforts to protect water resources and promote global access to Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) principles, seeking to guarantee access to water for all our employees and vulnerable communities in the areas where we source and operate.
   
   
5. Pollution Prevention: We implement measures to prevent water pollution, ensuring proper handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous substances.
   
   
6. Ecosystem Protection: We recognise the interconnection between water and ecosystems is invaluable, working to protect and restore water-dependent habitats with the aim of supporting biodiversity.
   
   
7. Collaboration: We actively seek collaborations with organisations, industry associations, and stakeholders to address water challenges by collectively sharing knowledge, expertise and resources.

Water Goals & Targets

We believe that our business model must be fully aligned with, and contribute to, sustainable water management practices in order to actively contribute to the preservation of key watersheds where we operate and source water. To achieve this, IWG has implemented a comprehensive strategy that encompasses the following key elements:

Efficient water usage: We strive to reduce the unit cost of water by implementing measures that promote efficient usage throughout our operations.

Water conservation: Through the adoption of water-saving technologies, efficient infrastructure, and employee awareness programs, we actively work towards reducing our overall water consumption.

Ongoing water monitoring: IWG is improving its ability to manage water usage through regular and frequent meter readings, thereby ensuring accountability and driving improvements. By attentively tracking our consumption patterns, we can identify areas where further optimisation is necessary and implement corrective measures.

Source evaluation: IWG conducts investigations of water sources to evaluate their sustainability and reliability because we recognise the importance of understanding the origin and quality of the water we use.

IWG has set the following targets for its operations:

1. Establish progressive targets for water consumption to reduce water usage per SQM by 20% by 2040
   
   
2. Implement a water metering strategy globally which enables accurate monitoring of water consumption
   
   
3. Refresh IWG policies, specifications, and design guides to incorporate new developments, achieve sustainable operations and minimise environmental impact
   
   
4. Apply, where possible, independent environmental assessment methods (for example BREEAM) to incorporate best practice design

Our guiding principles on sustainable water usage are incorporated within the IWG Supplier Code of Conduct. This encourages upstream value chain initiatives to reduce water consumption and promote WASH across vulnerable communities. Suppliers’ environmental performance is managed through ongoing supply chain management governance process to drive ongoing improvement. Our goals are to:

• Support and foster water quality and quantity protection and improvement throughout our supply chains.
  
  
• Utilise suppliers who implement WASH principles and sustainable usage of water in their operations.
  
  
• Improve access to WASH in vulnerable communities where we source and operate.

Tracking our progress

To ensure that this policy is implemented throughout our organisation, we monitor and evaluate results on an annual basis. The Group reports its performance on sustainable water management through the CDP Water Programme, as well as in our Annual Report.