Celeste

The voices of water stewards are powerful. They are rising. More and more people realize that water is synonymous with life, economic opportunity, and community wellness. Various stakeholders at World Water Week spoke of collaboration to reduce the macro water crises we will ALL continue to face. They spoke, and I hope we listen. 💧 The Why: “Water is a shared challenge; we need a shared vision.” - Eliza Roberts, Meta “We must look beyond a single supply chain and work alongside competitors to reduce risk and achieve true impact. Once one company starts, others follow.” - Katarina Kahlmann, TechnoServe “Water is at the top of the risk matrix for financial institutions.” - Claire Elsdon, CDP 💧 The Vision: “Move companies beyond harm mitigation to true positive impact.” - Mallory Cannon, UN Global Compact “Today, zero companies are compliant with CSRD. There is a great opportunity for collaboration. It’s time to support companies that want to know what good water stewardship looks like.” - Lewys Isaac, Primark “It’s not about collective action; it’s about collective impact.” - Todd Reeve, Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) 💧 The Challenges: “Businesses move at the speed of trust.” - Mike Nemeth, P.Ag., Nutrien “Nature is a nightmare; it’s very hard to model.” - Dave Arscott, Stroud Water Research Center “The community is not a single group. Everyone has different definitions of who is included.” - Mark Holton, The Rivers Trust “How do we ensure we don’t spend most of our funds on verification instead of implementation?” - Will Hewes, Amazon Web Services (AWS) “Companies have existing goals until 2030; how do you justify collective action with our existing goals?” - Shannon Quinn, Procter & Gamble “Making the internal business case for collaboration continuously is key.” - Julie Mouton, PE, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. 💧 The How: “Farmers are our most important water managers.” - Meike van Ginneken, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (Netherlands) “Compromise, time, and expectation: the three key elements of collaboration.” - Michael Alexander, Diageo “Companies are looking to show hydrological benefit—actual positive impact […] Nature-based solutions don’t provide the same level of certainty [and with water variability] we need to incorporate adaptive management […] to be comfortable with a level of uncertainty.” - Will Hewes, Amazon Web Services (AWS) “We must treat ‘water as a new asset class’ to boost [...] alignment with SDGs.” - Bapon Shm Fakhruddin, PhD, Green Climate Fund “The answer lies in mobilizing private and public resources to advance conservation and restoration.” - Alejandra Lopez Rodriguez, The Nature Conservancy “Mirror the local passion, born of grassroots initiatives, and get internal teams equally passionate about collaboration.” - Michael Alexander, Diageo 💧 The Call to Action: “Progress over perfection.” - Audience “Start by starting.” - Audience Will you listen and join in?

World Water Week in Stockholm has been an exciting experience for the Celeste team, providing a space for engaging conversations about the future and ways to catalyze action in the water sector 💧Water Security: A Financial Imperative 💰 Did you know that 505 companies disclosed financial risks of up to US$105 billion due to water scarcity and pollution?😱 But here's the good news: The total cost to address these risks is significantly lower at US$24 billion. 🤑 Through standardized reporting, companies can measure, manage, and mitigate these risks while seizing valuable opportunities. 📈 One of the main champions for corporate information disclosure is CDP, which collaborates with investors to encourage companies to disclose their water-related risks and opportunities Key takeaways: - Growing momentum: Mandatory water disclosure is becoming the norm, with 40% of G20+ jurisdictions implementing or planning requirements. ✅ - Significant financial impact: Water risks can have severe consequences for businesses. ⚠️ - Opportunities for innovation: Investing in water security can yield substantial returns. 💰 Thank you, Patricia Calderon, Head of Water at CDP, for your invaluable insights and your dedication to advancing the water sector. At Celeste , we are tackling the challenging questions of pushing for transparency to spark collaboration and take action, ensuring the sustainability of both businesses and communities. Join us in driving change through collaboration in the water sector #WaterSecurity #SustainableFinance #CDP #ClimateAction CDP full report, click here:

The Celeste team is excited to be part of such an engaging World Water Week in Stockholm. One of several key reminders we're going home with: *Localized data drives meaningful action* When it comes to freshwater management, using locally relevant metrics—rather than global averages—makes all the difference. That’s why the methodology behind SBTN’s alpha version of the Basin Threshold Tool is so exciting. This innovative approach equips companies with the data they need to take meaningful, science-based action at the basin level. As a corporate sustainability lead, navigating basin-level action can be challenging, especially when strict scientific protocols are involved. The Basin Threshold Tool is an invaluable resource, helping companies set freshwater targets and manage the complexities of basin-level sustainability more effectively by compiling a plethora of existing environmental flow data. By blending global and local data, this approach begins to compile the vast amount of information available across various basins. The local methodology is critical, reducing the burden on companies and providing the insights needed to effectively engage in step 3 (measure, set, and disclose) of the SBTN Freshwater framework. The creation of the tool’s underlying framework is a significant step towards overcoming the challenge of gathering up-to-date local data in basins. By encouraging consultation with local and national stakeholders and fostering a continuous feedback loop of supporting information, tools like this will become increasingly robust and powerful for companies and stakeholders navigating the target-setting process. Congratulations to the SBTN Freshwater team + partners for all your hard work! This methodology lays a promising foundation for companies striving to align their freshwater target setting strategies with rigorous environmental data. Looking forward to the beta version and beyond! #WorldWaterWeek #SBTN #CollectiveAction Angela Bowman, PhD | Rebecca Tharme | Allen Townsend | Michele Thieme | David Tickner | Gyan de Silva | Morgan Schneider | Jeff Malcolm | Nicole Tanner | Varsha Vijay, PhD | Erin Billman | Kari Vigerstol | Naabia Ofosu-Amaah | Sara Walker | Klaudia Schachtschneider

I am incredibly proud of Monserrat Magaña Ocaña, my Celeste team member, who presented her thesis yesterday alongside María José Milla Pavón. The thesis focused on climate adaptation policy in Mexico and Chile and formed part of the OECD - OCDE—OCDE Action Plan: Climate Resilience and Neutrality Initiatives for Latin America. Here are some eye-opening statistics that stood out for me: ⏰ Only 58% of people in Mexico have daily access to clean running water. ⏰ Only 2/3 of water treatment infrastructure is actively functioning, an outrageous number given the country's water stress. ⏰ Mexico's annual water availability per capita has fallen from 31K in 1910 to 3.5K M3 in 2019. ⏰ Out of 653 watersheds, 24% are overexploited. ⏰ Mexico only spends 0.8% of its GDP on water infrastructure. The OECD recommends that countries spend 1% - 2% of their GDP, possibly even higher depending on water stress. ⏰Although 33% of the available water is in the Center/North of the country, it accounts for a share of 83% of the GDP. "How are we incorporating the climate adaptation cost into our water consumption?"

Celeste is proud to count with the council and guidance of prominent sustainable procurement expert Ashwin Kak! This step marks a great step in furthering our understanding of the real needs of corporations in regards to resilient supply chains and collective action 🤝💧

What happened to Water Day Zero in Mexico City? The threat is delayed, not over. 🚰 According to CONAGUA, the main water regulator in Mexico, "Day Zero" was projected for June 26, 2024. But first, what does "Day Zero" mean? According to geophysical researchers from UNAM, "Day Zero" refers to a future period where there will be no capacity to supply the required amount of water. 📉 The "Day Zero" concept is frequently used in cases of water management crises, where authorities must introduce extreme rationing measures due to long droughts and poor water management strategies. 📅 But how did CONAGUA arrive at a specific date? Over the past few years, especially in 2023, Mexico has suffered severe droughts and high temperatures. These factors have led to the Cutzamala dam system falling below half of its historic average water level, as reported at the beginning of June. 💧 Three main dams from the Cutzamala system, which supply around 25% of Mexico City’s water, are currently at 25.7% of their total capacity, as informed by OCAVM from CONAGUA. With this information, the CONAGUA team calculated how much water they could provide until the system ran out, given the current low historical levels. 🌧️ Nonetheless, June 26th passed, and Mexico City did not experience "Day Zero," thanks to recent storms like Hurricane Alberto. However, this does not mean the system is resilient or the crisis has been overcome. On the contrary, the dams have not refilled to the expected levels. ⚠️ This means "Day Zero" was delayed, but the risk remains real. The levels of the water dam system are still low, and a rationing process will still be required. Experts from the Belisario Domínguez Institute mention that "Day Zero," more than a concept to frighten people, should be considered a call to action towards a sustainable water management model. As a country, we must ensure the human right to access water and understand that businesses are heavily reliant on water. 🌱 Some measures could include promoting water conservation culture and projects, investing in both traditional and green infrastructure, and enforcing compliance norms to guarantee responsible water use. Celeste 💧 continues to work to scale water collaboration and resource management efforts to reduce the impact of this crisis and future crises. 

Celeste is proud to hire experts such as Monserrat Magaña Ocaña. Her research into water policy, opportunities in resource management, and climate adaptation will prove key to Celeste's thought leadership and product development. Below, find the thesis she wrote alongside Maria Jose Milla, for the OECD Action Plan. Welcome, Monse!

"The Panama Canal's authority reduced the number of ships crossing daily from roughly 37 to 31. Five or six fewer ships per day can cause huge disruptions in supply chains as time goes on". Water risk causes profound disruptions to supply chains. Although it is often related to preventing production in supplier sites, transportation can also be affected. Drought has reduced the capacity of the Panama Canal, resulting in a $100 million monthly loss since October. What if we invested those funds to reduce water risk?

Mexico City is not the only one. Poor water management and changing weather patterns are creating water crises all around the world. Different countries, and even different continents, are feeling the echoes of the same problem. This list of 11 cities creates a daunting picture of the scale of the issue. Yet, it also creates an opportunity. Although water is incredibly local, the problems felt in each watershed have profound parallels. Celeste is striving to scale collaboration to reduce risk at the watershed level. While this is the unit of risk and response, learnings can be transmitted more broadly. https://lnkd.in/gX9E5qsM

"En Celeste, vamos a poder seguir conversando y creciendo con los fondos que conocimos gracias a Chany Ventures." Leni Peterson Redondo de Celeste (⭐ Ganadora del Pitch Competition en el Demo Day 2024) nos comparte su experiencia en nuestro programa "EntrepreneuHers de Mexico" y su sensación al ser seleccionada como ganadora del Demo Day & Pitch Competition 2024. No te pierdas la oportunidad de formar parte de esta gran comunidad y ser una EntrepreneuHer más de Chany Ventures! Aplica a nuestro próximo programa que se llevará a cabo en Agosto de 2024 🚀 . Para más información ➡ https://lnkd.in/e_xdqYmr