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Water Reporting: Good Practice Guide

25 August 2021

This guidance supports the sector in compiling simple and relevant information on water including consistent metrics, which provides a solid foundation for consistent water reporting.

  • For companies, transparency of their water dependencies and performance (in terms of risks, opportunities and management response) is foundational for effectively engaging stakeholders and enabling informed decision making.
  • The mining and metals industry is highly dependent on water for its operations. As an industry we have a leading role to play in contributing practical solutions to water resource challenges. Members of the ICMM have made firm commitments to water stewardship, including implementing robust water governance within their businesses, transparency and disclosure around water use, managing water more effectively at a site level and working with others to resolve shared challenges at the catchment-scale.
  • This guidance supports members in achieving this commitment in the following ways:
    • Outlines the minimum reporting commitments for ICMM member companies to promote transparency through consistent and relevant reporting on the industry’s water interactions, risks, opportunities, and the range of activities being undertaken to progress water management practices, manage risk, support stewardship initiatives, engage stakeholders and deliver improved catchment outcomes.
    • Defines an appropriate set of consistent water reporting metrics for the mining and metals industry, which are based on the Minerals Council of Australia’s (MCA’s) Water Accounting Framework for the Mineral Industry (WAF), to drive consistent metrics that are benchmarkable at all scales.
    • Provides practical supporting guidance around meeting the minimum reporting commitments to continually build capacity within the industry and enhance understanding by external stakeholders.
  • The guidance also aims to align with GRI, provide clarity on reporting expectations for external stakeholders and promote better understanding of the industry’s operational water context, practices and reporting.