Private sector involvement

             Private sector involvement and leadership in efforts to improve management and sustainability of water use is growing, driven by corporate understanding of risks and opportunities associated with water as a resource for business sustainability, and by accountability to shareholders, consumers and producers. The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is an illustrating example of an industry-wide initiative by leading end-user garment retailers such as H&M, IKEA and M&S to reduce the environmental footprint of cotton production, fulfil corporate social responsibility standards, and improve farmer income and local livelihoods. In one collaboration between IKEA and the World Wide Fund for Nature in south Punjab, Pakistan, for example, Better Management Practice (BMP) including better irrigation techniques and pest management are disseminated through farmer participation and capacity building. BMP resulted in 25-75 per cent reduction in pesticide use, 15-30 per cent reduction in irrigation water and 15-30 per cent increase in gross margins of farmers between 2005 and 2009, compared to non-BMP farmers. The challenge remains how to scale out and benefit groups outside the interests of businesses.

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