Our commitment
Microsoft is committed to replenishing more water than we consume across our global operations.
Our approach
Four principles guide our water replenishment strategy.
Need-based investment
Prioritize investment in areas with high water stress and high operational water consumption.
Local relevance
Don’t just count drops: invest in locally relevant projects that offer social and environmental co-benefits.
Community
Keep community needs and impact at the forefront to integrate environmental justice with our replenishment initiatives.
Innovation
Focus on innovation to build project supply and scale.
Projects of interest
Our water replenishment portfolio consists of projects across a range of Volumetric Water Benefit Accounting (VWBA) categories.
Land conservation and restoration
We invest in land conservation projects that improve water filtration, reduce erosion, and enhance water recharge. We work to establish protected lands and restore ecosystems by encouraging the growth of native plants, such as the longleaf pine in San Antonio, Texas.
Aquatic habitat restoration
Microsoft has invested in 25 aquatic habitat restoration projects to date to improve water quality, reduce flooding, and recharge the aquifer. For example, a project to revive traditional wetland agriculture at Mexico City’s Lake Xochimilco is expected to replenish 3.8M m3 of water over a decade.
Water supply reliability
Microsoft invests in projects to reduce agricultural water demand, repair leaks in distribution systems, and promote operational efficiency. For example, we worked with a partner in Chile to improve irrigation efficiency, increasing groundwater availability.
Water quality
We invest in projects to enhance water quality through reduced flooding, improved filtration, or direct treatment. For example, we worked with partners to restore watershed oxbows in Des Moines, Iowa and to establish a nature-based wastewater treatment system at Lake Sembakkam in Chennai, India.
Replenishment priority locations
As of July 2023, we have invested more than $16 million in 49 replenishment projects around the world, estimated to provide >61 million m3 in volumetric water benefit over the project lifetime.
Explore our access work
As part of our commitment to becoming water positive, Microsoft is dedicated to expanding access to clean water and sanitation services worldwide.
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