Volume of effluents, used water, and unused water released, during the reporting period, to surface water, groundwater, seawater, or a third party and for which the organization has no further use.
Water Discharged (OI0386)
- Reporting Format Unit of Measure (PD1602)
- Metric Type Metric
- Metric Level Organization
- IRIS Metric Citation IRIS, 2021. Water Discharged: Total (OD0386). v5.2.
Footnote
Organizations should footnote all assumptions used, including source(s) of data.
Usage Guidance
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This metric is intended to capture the amount of water discharged by the organization to any source and for any purpose during the reporting period.
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This metric is sourced from GRI's Disclosure 303 and may be combined with Water Type (OD7536) to describe to where water was discharged in greater detail.
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In some contexts, this metric can serve as an indicator of whether the outcome being sought by an investor or organization is occurring (the WHAT dimension of impact). For more on the alignment of IRIS metrics to the five dimensions of impact, see specific guidance document. No single metric is sufficient to understand an impact; rather, metrics are selected as a set across all dimensions of impact. When possible, the selection of metrics to measure and describe the five dimensions should be based on best practice and evidence.
Impact Categories & Themes
SDG Goals & Targets
Clean Water and Sanitation
- SDG Target 6.3
- SDG Target 6.4
Decent Work and Economic Growth
- SDG Target 8.4
Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- SDG Target 9.4
Sustainable Cities and Communities
- SDG Target 11.6
Responsible Consumption and Production
- SDG Target 12.2
- SDG Target 12.4
- SDG Target 12.6
Metric History
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June 2022 - IRIS v5.3 Released (current version)
Immaterial change. Minor revisions to definition and usage guidance for clarity.
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January 2020 - IRIS v5.1 Released
New metric. Water Discharged (OD0386) was developed via the IRIS+ Sustainable Water Management Expert Subgroup.