Recently, world and business leaders from around the world attended the first water-related event hosted by the United Nations in 46 years, seeking answers as the world grapples with increasingly extreme challenges. Water is a shared resource. There is no person or company that can survive without water and Microsoft is no different. Responsible management of this natural resource is a critical part of our sustainability journey, and Microsoft is committed to becoming a water positive company by 2030. Reaching this goal goes beyond reducing use or replenishing natural sources, it means provide people around the world with access to water and sanitation services, engage in public policy, and drive innovation and digitization of data for the sake of its conservation.
Today, we are excited to share the progress that has been made since announcement of our commitment in 2020, new details on how we're working with customers and our partner EcoLab to help organizations more effectively monitor and manage their water data, and the investments we're making to scale water replenishment and access projects globally.
The Journey to Positive Water
Over the past three years, we have been working on five pillars that guide the actions we have taken so far and will influence the decisions we make in the future:
1. Reducing our water consumption in our operations
To meet our commitment by 2030, we will need to reduce our water consumption across all of our direct operations. We take a holistic approach to water reduction across our business, from design to efficiency, looking for immediate opportunities to recycle and replenish water, as well as creating new technologies around conserving this natural resource. While we have more work to do, progress has been made with this approach. We were successful in using air instead of water to cool the datacenters, we also harvested rainwater and purchased a portion of utilities to reduce our dependence on primary water sources in our operations. In addition, we are finding ways to be more efficient and learning how to drive reduction in our offices as well. Our Silicon Valley campus is on track to be the region's first technology center to achieve Net-Zero water certification from the International Living Futures Institute (ILFI).
2. Strengthening access to water and sanitation
At Microsoft, we believe that water is a fundamental human right. Today, 1 in 4 people on Earth do not have access to water and sanitation services. Since 2020, we have partnered with water.org to provide microloans for a variety of solutions that address this problem, such as installing toilets and better storage systems for people in India, Indonesia, Mexico and Brazil. To date, our investment has provided more than 1 million people with clean water and sanitation, and we are on track to reach our goal of reaching 1.5 million people. I am happy with this progress, however, we realize that it is still not enough. We will continue to look for new ways to increase our reach, offering opportunities to those who cannot repay a loan. This fundamental principle has guided the new replenishment investments we are making.
3. Replenish more water than we use in our operations
Replenishment is a critical component of our water journey as we look for opportunities to return water to its original source. At Microsoft, we are refueling more than we consume at approximately 40 high voltage priority basins where we operate. Since 2019, we have invested more than $$ 7 million in replenishment projects around the world, from watershed protection to agricultural water efficiency. Going forward, we are looking to scale up our replenishment work through investments with nonprofits and the private sector that are working to solve critical water challenges.
We are pleased to announce that we have reached a preliminary agreement with WaterEquity to be the first investor in the Water and Climate Resilience Fund subject to the execution of the final documents. Through this fund, WaterEquity will provide funding to eligible projects and businesses aimed at improving the supply, treatment, distribution and reuse of water. This represents our third water-related investment through Microsoft's US$$1 billion Climate Innovation Fund (CIF).
The global volume of non-revenue water and fresh water lost due to leakage is estimated to be around 346 million cubic meters per day, roughly 30% of the world's produced water. New AI-powered tools like leak detection through actionable AI can have a tremendous impact on replenishment activities with quantifiable data and impact. Today we are announcing an innovative 10 year leak detection project starting in London with FIDO Tech. FIDO's AI-enabled acoustic leak analysis provides an opportunity to not only size and find the largest leaks, but also to track size over time through repeated analysis, preventing continued water loss.
Traditional replenishment projects alone will not meet the scale the world needs as water challenges continue to worsen around the world. Innovation and the digitization of water data is a critical component of this journey, and our investments in the WaterEquity Fund and in leak detection projects with FIDO represent the steps we are taking to catalyze innovation.
4. Increasing solutions to the water issue with innovation and digitalization
The work we continue to do at Microsoft to manage water used in our own operations and through access and replenishment projects is critical. And yet, we know we can amplify our potential impact by working with our customers and partners to help them meet their own water commitments and build innovative technologies that will help the world protect freshwater resources. Digitizing water data will give us a better understanding of water availability and where water stress is arising.
Today, we are announcing a joint solution with Ecolab that combines its ECOLAB3D™ digital platform with Microsoft Sustainability Manager to monitor and manage water data, helping organizations achieve water sustainability goals and accelerate overall sustainability progress. We are excited to be working with Ecolab to drive efficient water management in production processes to reduce water consumption, energy consumption and carbon emissions for our customers.
5. Advocating for innovative and efficient policies
We believe that Microsoft and the private sector at large have an important role to play in championing an effective and innovative sustainability policy. We recognize that government involvement in the global water crisis is a key piece of the puzzle in protecting the world's freshwater resources. Microsoft has a long history of taking action and advocating for environmental sustainability, and we will continue to look for opportunities to use our voice to promote policies that encourage and scale reducing, replenishing and increasing access to clean water in water-stressed regions.
What's next
In 2020, we co-founded and joined the Water Resilience Coalition (WRC), a CEO-led initiative to reduce water stress by 2050. Today, we are building on that solid foundation we established with the WRC and signing one Open Call to Action for Water to accelerate the collective impact that companies can have in building greater water resilience. This represents our ongoing commitment to making water a centerpiece of our environmental sustainability strategy.
In the coming years, we will continue to make progress on these five pillars of our commitment to water. We expect to increase our efforts to reduce water consumption in our operations, increase the acquisition of alternative sources and invest in projects that increase access to water and sanitation solutions.
