Measuring the real cost of water

Big savings are available to companies that look beyond their utility bills and understand the broader economic costs of their water consumption.

The low nominal cost of water in many regions means that a lot of investments aimed at cutting its use don't seem to offer satisfactory returns. The picture may change when organisations take a broader view of water: as a "carrier" of production inputs and outputs to which a variety of costs and recoverable values can be assigned. Since these elements may total as much as 100 times the nominal cost of water, optimizing its use can yield significant financial returns ... READ MORE

Released by McKinsey & Company - March 2013