Water Sustainability Consulting That Stands Up to Assurance
Water sustainability consulting from Consultivo helps organisations measure, manage and prove their water performance, with standards-based advisory, independent assessment and evidence that is ready when an assurance provider asks for it.
01 / What you get
Water Sustainability Consulting: What You Get
You get water performance you can measure, improve and prove.
In brief: Consultivo is a water sustainability consultancy serving industry, real estate and community programmes. We provide water audits, water footprint assessment, watershed water conservation assessment, water neutrality consulting and ISO 46001 consulting, working to ISO 46001, GRI 303 and the AWWA water balance method. We are an AA1000 licensed assurance provider and an approved ESG consultant of IFC (World Bank Group), with projects in 20+ countries.
A baseline you can defend
A water balance for each site, built from metered and documented volumes, so every later claim starts from facts.
A plan that cuts, reuses and replenishes
Ranked actions to reduce use, reuse and recycle water, and to replenish what you cannot avoid using.
Evidence your assurance provider can follow
Assumptions, methods and limits stated plainly, so a reader can see how each number was reached.
Find the Water Sustainability Service You Need
02 / Why Consultivo
Water Sustainability Consulting You Can Trust
Independent advice, backed by credentials and by work you can inspect.
AA1000 licensed assurance provider
Licence 000-945, with verification available on request. Licensed to provide assurance under the AA1000 standard.
Approved by IFC and PSCI
Approved ESG consultant of IFC (World Bank Group), and approved auditor of the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative (PSCI), UK.
Hydrogeology-led water audits
We look at where water goes underground as well as where it is metered, which is how one club found its harvested rainwater was recharging the wrong aquifer.
Advice and assurance kept apart
Where we advised on or built the system behind a number, we do not assure that number.
A water dashboard on ESG Slate
Six families of water metrics, with GRI 303 logic, in one view.
Evidence from real work
Four anonymised studies below, from manufacturing, cement, community programmes and real estate and hospitality.
03 / Overview
Water Sustainability Management: What It Covers
Water sustainability management means treating water as both a business risk and a number you must be able to prove. Consultivo is a water sustainability consultancy: our water sustainability consultants cover corporate water management and industrial water management, from water accounting and balancing to conservation and watershed assessment, water neutral and water positive pathways, ISO 46001 systems and the water performance evidence behind your reporting.
Water stewardship, meaning how a site's water use affects the catchment it draws from, runs through our neutrality and watershed work. We also advise on water efficiency and water conservation for plants, campuses, resorts and community projects.
Who Needs Water Sustainability Management
Any organisation that uses water. It applies to organisations of all sizes and types. The most common clients are:
- Manufacturing units
- Hospitals, hotels, shopping malls, supermarkets and educational institutes
- Office buildings, housing and colonies
- Community and utility services
Water Sustainability: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Change processes and behaviour to cut water use while keeping product quality high.
Collect waste water streams inside the facility and reuse them where the quality allows.
Investigate and use technology that treats water so it can be used again inside the plant.
The international standard for water efficiency, ISO 46001:2019, frames the same idea as ‘reduce, replace or reuse’ and applies to organisations of all types and sizes that use water.
04 / Why now
Why Water Sustainability Now Needs Proof
Each of these asks the same thing: show your working.
Water numbers are moving from the sustainability report into the assurance file. For large listed companies in India, water consumption is part of the BRSR Core data that is independently assured.
A new version of the Alliance for Water Stewardship Standard arrived in 2026. ISO 46001 certificates are now being issued to sites in India.
05 / Services
Our Sustainable Water Management Services
We deliver remotely, on site, or as a blend of both, so you get the right depth without needless travel.
Water Neutrality Consulting
Water neutrality consulting from Consultivo sets the baseline, plans reduction and replenishment, and builds the evidence for your claim, whether you run an operating plant or a project still on the drawing board. Many organisations announce water goals; few can show the arithmetic. Where a claim needs an independent opinion, that is a separate engagement.
Explore water neutrality consultingWatershed Water Conservation Assessment
A watershed water conservation assessment shows how much water your watershed, pond and lake projects store and recharge, with every assumption stated. It works for new projects and existing ones, so you can report what they deliver.
Explore watershed water conservation assessmentISO 46001 Consulting
ISO 46001 consulting builds a water efficiency management system that fits your sites and sits alongside ISO 14001 and ISO 50001, from gap assessment to internal audit and certification readiness. Over three consecutive years we supported a large tyre manufacturer on water management, including ISO 46001 consulting; one of its plants was certified to ISO 46001 by an international certification body in FY 2023-24.
Explore ISO 46001 consultingWater Audit
Our water audit services cover mapping, inventory, water accounting and balancing within the fence, from leak surveys to zero liquid discharge readiness. Our audits are hydrogeology-led: we look at where water goes underground as well as where it is metered.
Explore water audit servicesWater Footprint Assessment
Assess the water footprint of the whole organisation, or of a single product, and see where the water behind your operations really comes from.
Explore water footprint assessment06 / Impact stories
Industrial Water Management: Work That Found What Others Missed
Four anonymised stories. Each says whether the result was measured, estimated or reported, and what the study recommended, not what the client did next.
Three Years With a Tyre Manufacturer: ISO 46001 and Zero Liquid Discharge
Over three consecutive years we supported the company's water management, including ISO 46001 consulting; one plant was certified to ISO 46001 by an international certification body in FY 2023-24. We also built the water accounting and evidence behind one plant's zero liquid discharge certification, which an independent certifier assessed; the company reports two plants certified zero liquid discharge by a third party.
Result type: measured plant data for one year, with about 205,000 cubic metres taken in and about 100,000 cubic metres of treated effluent reclaimed.
The study pointed to: more flow meters at production and cooling points, regular calibration checks and closer matching of records to water bills, so the next year's balance rests on measured data.
A Harvesting System That Was Recharging the Wrong Aquifer
A hydrogeology-led audit found that unlined tanks and about 855 metres of unlined drain were sending fresh rainwater into a shallow brackish aquifer that nobody uses.
Result type: estimated, on a tentative water balance: lining two tanks and the drain would hold about 12,000 cubic metres for irrigation and could free up to about 50,000 cubic metres a year.
The study pointed to: lining the tanks and drain, annual calibration of flow meters by an accredited body, meters on both sewage plants, shorter laundry rinse cycles (about 720 cubic metres a year) and a long-term move to treated surface water for drinking supply.
Estimated Savings in a Plant With Almost No Meters
658,000 kilolitres a yearWith few meters, we measured flows with ultrasonic instruments, found leaks and modelled the terrain.
Result type: an estimated savings potential from leaks, the township and storm water stored in abandoned quarries. These are potential savings, not measured savings.
The study pointed to: a water management unit, meters at every major demand point, acoustic leak detection, pressure management and a GIS map of the water network.
How Much Water Do Our Community Projects Really Conserve?
We applied one method to every site and stated each assumption and limit.
Result type: reported by the client and estimated with stated coefficients, not measured water levels: storage created and annual water saving impact each fall in the range of 50 to 100 million litres, stated conservatively.
The study pointed to: geohydrological validation, such as water-level monitoring in observation wells, wherever audit-grade numbers are needed.
07 / Platform
Water Performance Evidence: ESG Slate Today, WaterSlate Next
The ESG Slate water sustainability dashboard, part of Consultivo's ESG data platform, brings your water performance into one view across six metric families. Its reporting logic follows GRI 303, where water consumption equals water withdrawal minus water discharge.
Withdrawal minus discharge equals consumption.
Six Metric Families
- 01Water balance
- 02Water stress
- 03Efficiency
- 04Discharge and reuse
- 05Stewardship
- 06Governance and risk
We are building WaterSlate, a dedicated water module, and will make it a separate product once it has been in use with clients for a few months. We do not assure the water data of clients whose numbers ESG Slate or WaterSlate produce, so your assurance provider stays independent of the tool.
08 / Independence
How We Keep Advice and Assurance Apart
Where we advised on or built the system behind a number, we do not assure that number.
We do not assure the water data of clients whose numbers our platforms, ESG Slate and WaterSlate, produce. We are an AA1000 licensed assurance provider, and we keep that work apart from our advice.
09 / Questions
Water Sustainability Consulting: Your Questions Answered
Each answer starts with the direct answer, then adds the detail.
What is water sustainability consulting?
Water sustainability consulting helps an organisation measure how it uses water, reduce and reuse it, replenish what it can, and keep the evidence to prove it. It covers baselines, efficiency, conservation and reporting, from a single site to a multi-site portfolio.
What is water sustainability for industries?
Water sustainability for industries means using water responsibly, so that supply, quality and cost stay secure for the business and for the communities that share the source. Fresh water is under pressure in many regions from unsustainable withdrawals, contamination and scarcity. The key steps are to measure water use, reduce it through better technology, process and products, reduce contamination at source, and replenish water sources through short and long term measures. It works best as a multidisciplinary effort that weighs technical, environmental, economic, social and cultural issues together.
How can Consultivo help our organisation's journey towards sustainable water management?
Consultivo supports your journey with a water sustainability strategy, measurement and monitoring of water use, water auditing and balancing, water footprints, and the evidence behind reporting and disclosure. For reporting we also support GRI Based Sustainability Reporting and the SEBI Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report. We keep our advice apart from any assurance work, as explained below.
How do I choose a water sustainability consultant, in India or elsewhere?
Choose on method, sector experience, the quality of the evidence you will receive and independence. Ask how numbers are calculated and checked, what similar work the firm has done, and whether it also assures what it advises on.
What does a water audit include?
A water audit measures where a site gets its water, how much each process uses, where water is lost and where it is reused. It ends in a water balance and a ranked list of improvements with their expected savings. Read more about our water audit service.
How do you assess water neutrality?
We set a baseline, reduce and reuse, estimate replenishment, account for debit and credit with stated assumptions, and assemble the evidence for the claim. The boundary and method must be stated for the claim to hold.
What is the difference between water neutral and water positive?
Water neutral means the water you replenish equals the water you use. Water positive means you replenish more than you use. Each is calculated by comparing water used (the debit) with water returned or conserved (the credit) over a stated boundary and period.
What is ISO 46001, and does my organisation need it?
ISO 46001 is the international standard for water efficiency management systems. It applies to organisations of all types and sizes that use water, and it is voluntary: you need it only if you want a recognised, auditable system or your customers and investors ask for one. A water audit is often the first step.
How is water conservation impact measured?
By estimating the storage a structure creates, the groundwater recharge it supports and the water saved each year, with stated assumptions and local rainfall. These are estimates unless backed by measured water levels and flows, and a good report states its limits.
How long does an assessment take?
A single-site assessment typically takes four to eight weeks from the start, depending on scope and how quickly data arrives. Multi-site programmes take longer.
Can an independent assurance provider assess water data?
Yes, if it can trace each number to evidence and has not advised on or built the system behind it. Consultivo does not assure numbers it advised on or built, including water data produced by our platforms, ESG Slate and WaterSlate. Read our Independence and Impartiality Policy.
How can companies report water data under BRSR and GRI 303?
Both ask for water withdrawal, consumption and discharge with the method used. Companies need metered or documented volumes, calibration records and a water balance to support the figures. See our BRSR reporting page.
What does the ESG Slate water dashboard track?
It tracks six families of water metrics: water balance, water stress, efficiency, discharge and reuse, stewardship, and governance and risk. Water consumption follows GRI 303: water withdrawal minus water discharge.
Can you certify us?
No. We do not issue ISO or other certificates; independent certification bodies do. We prepare the evidence and systems so certification goes smoothly.
What decides the quote?
The number of sites, the data you already hold and the depth of study. We quote after a short scoping call.
Do you work outside India?
Yes. We have worked on projects in 20+ countries, and the same methods and standards apply wherever the site is.
Find a solution that works for you
From legal compliance to net zero and water stewardship — pick the path that matches your risk, your goals and your reporting needs.
Environmental Risk
(Focus: Legal, Regulatory, and Governance Requirements)
Climate Solutions
(Focus: Decarbonization, Strategy, and Efficiency)
Water Management
(Focus: Water, Waste, and Resource Circularity)
About Consultivo Environmental and ESG Services
Consultivo specialises in comprehensive Environmental Services, and ESG Services, including Environmental Audits, Environmental Due Diligence, Carbon Management, and Energy Management & Audits. We support ISO 14001 implementation, Water Sustainability, and Green Audits for truly sustainable operations.
About Consultivo
Consultivo is one of the leading ESG Consultants in India
An Advisory, Research, Audit & Training organisation helping global businesses in the areas of Sustainability, Business Excellence & Risk Management both at the strategic and operational levels.
Major service verticals include Safety, Sustainability, Environment & Energy, CSR, Management Systems, Organisational Development and Human Capital Development. Consultivo works with 100+ National and International Sustainability related codes, standards and guidelines.
Apart from Independent External Assurance, as a leading ESG Consultant based in India, Consultivo offers ESG Materiality Assessment and Strategy Consulting, ESG Implementation Handholding, Stakeholder Mapping and Engagement, ESG, Sustainability and BRSR Report Preparation and ESG Report Design.
Consultivo Academy offers training and capacity building services both in conventional and new age e-learning platforms.
12 / Request for proposal
Request a Water Sustainability Consulting Quote
Tell us what you need to prove. We will arrange a short scoping call and send a quote.
Call us on +91 98311 45556. Consultivo Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd., registered office 2 Rabindra Nath Tagore Road, Kolkata 700076, India. We serve clients across India and in 20+ countries.
Related Insights
Browse Our Featured Blog
Read a few of our stories as we partner organisations as an ESG, Sustainability and People Advisory Consulting Firm.
Related Insights
Browse our Impact Stories
Read a few of our stories as we partner organisations as an ESG and Sustainability Due Diligence Audit Firm.
Powered by ESG Slate — Consultivo’s AI-driven audit engine.
Speak to us or drop us a WhatsApp message
Let's discuss
