3M’s Water Management Standard provides a company-wide framework, including both general and specific elements for water management. The standard requires 3M operations to manage their water resources through understanding the balance of water use, compliance with regulatory requirements, systematic and prioritized conservation practices, and reporting usage. Water resources include water intake, effluent water discharge and rainwater.
To inventory, track and understand water use in our operations for improved efficiency, 3M sites are required to report water data quarterly into a corporate tracking system. Additional water source, use and discharge information is collected and provided through an annual assessment and survey process. Aggregated data is evaluated to determine our progress and identify opportunities for increased efficiency in higher-use focus areas.