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Water Footprint Implementation (WFI) is pleased to announce a new collaboration with Blue North Sustainability, a leading sustainability consultancy based in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Blue North has spent over a decade assisting farmers, exporters, and retailers across international agricultural supply chains in developing and implementing practical sustainability strategies. Their digital tools, including the Confronting Climate Change (CCC) carbon calculator and the SHERPA Sustainability Management System, are already trusted by hundreds of agricultural businesses across Southern Africa and beyond.
Why This Matters
South Africa is a water-stressed country, and agriculture sits at the centre of that stress. Research shows that crop production accounts for roughly 75% of the country’s total national water footprint, and that blue-water use already exceeds availability in several river basins for parts of the year. Surface water resources are almost fully developed, and in some regions, irrigation water is being considered for reallocation to other users. Climate projections only sharpen the picture, with national irrigation demand expected to increase by 2090.
The South African government recognises this. The National Water Resource Strategy explicitly promotes water footprinting as a tool for smarter water value chain management. Internationally, the trend is moving in the same direction: buyer expectations, disclosure frameworks, and regulatory pressure around water are all intensifying.
Yet, while carbon footprinting has become a well-established part of sustainability reporting, water footprinting remains an area where many agri-businesses lack the tools and expertise to act. This collaboration aims to change that.
What We’re Doing Together
Blue North brings over a decade of experience helping farmers, exporters, and supply chain actors develop and implement sustainability strategies, backed by proven digital tools like the CCC carbon calculator and the SHERPA management system. WFI brings world-leading scientific expertise in water footprint assessment, methodology, and target-setting. Together, this partnership combines two complementary strengths to make credible, science-based water footprinting more accessible to agri-businesses, starting in South Africa and with a view to expanding internationally.
The two organisations are currently working through a structured discovery phase to shape how water footprint assessments, target-setting, and related services can be delivered effectively to the farmers, packhouses, and supply chain actors who need them most.
A Shared Vision
The signs are clear: water is following the same trajectory as carbon. CDP reported a 100% increase in corporate water disclosures in 2024, with companies now reporting US$339 billion in potential financial impacts linked to water-related risks. The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) explicitly includes water in its disclosure requirements, and the UN estimates that by 2030, global freshwater demand will outstrip supply by 40%.
For agri-businesses, where water is a fundamental input across the value chain, the ability to measure, understand, and act on water footprint data is quickly moving from optional to essential.
We look forward to sharing more as this partnership develops. Stay tuned for updates on our progress and the insights that emerge along the way.