4 SDGs linked to saving water
Four of the UN Sustainable Development Goals touch a company's water use directly: SDG 6, on water and sanitation, SDG 9, on industry and infrastructure, SDG 12, on responsible consumption and production, and SDG 13, on climate. See the targets of each, where the world and Brazil stand and how a company contributes and proves the result.
By T&D Sustentável 7 min read
In this article · 7
The four UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) most closely linked to saving water are SDG 6, clean water and sanitation, SDG 9, industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 12, responsible consumption and production, and SDG 13, climate action. At the centre is target 6.4: by 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors. It is the target to which a company contributes directly, by measuring and cutting its own consumption.
In short:
- SDG 6 has eight targets, from access to water and sanitation to water-use efficiency and safe reuse, most of them due in 2030.
- Worldwide, 2.1 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water, and 3.4 billion lack safely managed sanitation, according to WHO and UNICEF.
- In Brazil, in 2024, 84.1% of the population had treated water, 56.7% had sewage collection and only 51.8% of sewage was treated.
- SDGs 9, 12 and 13 come in through resource efficiency in industry, natural resource management and sustainability reporting, and resilience to drought.
- A company contributes by measuring consumption, cutting waste, reusing water and reporting the result with indicators.
What is SDG 6?
It is the UN 2030 Agenda goal for water and sanitation: ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Its main targets, in the UN’s wording:
| Target | What it says |
|---|---|
| 6.1 | By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all |
| 6.2 | By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation |
| 6.3 | By 2030, improve water quality, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally |
| 6.4 | By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals to address water scarcity |
| 6.5 | By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels |
| 6.6 | By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, such as forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes |
Targets 6.a and 6.b cover international cooperation and the participation of local communities in water and sanitation management. For a company, the most direct targets are 6.4, on efficiency, and 6.3, on effluent and reuse.
Where do the world and Brazil stand on SDG 6?
Far from the target. In August 2025, WHO and UNICEF reported that 1 in 4 people in the world, 2.1 billion, still lacked safely managed drinking water, including 106 million who drank straight from untreated surface sources, and that 3.4 billion lacked safely managed sanitation.
In Brazil, the 2024 figures from SINISA, the national sanitation information system, compiled by Instituto Trata Brasil, show how far there is to go:
| Indicator | Brazil in 2024 | Sanitation Framework target for 2033 |
|---|---|---|
| Population with treated water | 84.1% | 99% |
| Population with sewage collection | 56.7% | 90% |
| Sewage treated | 51.8% | 90% |
The details of collection and treatment are in sewage collection and treatment, and losses of treated water, which touch target 6.4, in water losses in Brazil.
Which 4 SDGs are linked to saving water?
SDGs 6, 9, 12 and 13. Each has a target a company can meet by managing its own water:
| SDG | Water-related target | What the company does |
|---|---|---|
| 6, Clean water and sanitation | 6.4: increase water-use efficiency across all sectors; 6.3: halve untreated wastewater and increase safe reuse | Measures consumption, cuts waste, treats effluent and reuses water |
| 9, Industry, innovation and infrastructure | 9.4: upgrade infrastructure and industries, with increased resource-use efficiency and clean technologies | Replaces equipment and processes with versions that use less water |
| 12, Responsible consumption and production | 12.2: sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources; 12.6: integrate sustainability information into companies’ reporting cycle | Sets water intensity targets and reports the result |
| 13, Climate action | 13.1: strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards | Prepares the operation for droughts and water crises |
Target 12.6 is the only one on the list addressed to companies by name: it asks them, especially large and transnational ones, to adopt sustainable practices and integrate sustainability information into their reporting. And 13.1 carries weight in Brazil, where recent droughts have already caused supply and energy crises, as shown in water crisis in Brazil: 2014 and 2021.
How does a company contribute to SDG 6 in practice?
With five steps that produce numbers, not just intentions:
- Baseline. Measure consumption by site, area and hour, with a reference period to compare against.
- Intensity indicator. Litres per product, per guest, per bed, per student or per square metre, so that the reduction does not depend on production volume.
- Efficiency at points of use. Taps, showers, toilets and processes adjusted to use less, without losing function.
- End invisible waste. Hidden leaks and abnormal night-time consumption, found with metering and leak detection.
- Reuse and reporting. Reuse water where quality allows and a report with water indicators, such as those of the GRI 303 standard.
The five GRI water indicators and how to prove the result are in ESG and water management, and the step by step for reuse in water reuse in industry.
How do you prove a company’s contribution to the SDGs?
With measurement before and after, using a recognised method. A reduction in consumption only counts for the report if the baseline is reliable and the comparison accounts for what changed in the operation. The international IPMVP protocol, for measuring and verifying efficiency, exists for this.
T&D’s SEA 360º handles implementation, without building works, with a baseline under the IPMVP protocol, efficiency technology at points of use, electronic leak detection and repairs, and continues with ongoing management, with monthly efficiency and ESG impact reports, ready to feed the sustainability report. The ceiling observed in the full programme is a 70% reduction in consumption.
Frequently asked questions
What is SDG 6?
It is the UN Sustainable Development Goal for water and sanitation: ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, with targets for 2030 such as universal access to drinking water, wastewater treatment and water-use efficiency.
Which SDGs are related to water?
The most direct is SDG 6. Saving water also serves SDG 9, through resource efficiency in industry, SDG 12, through efficient use of natural resources and sustainability reporting, and SDG 13, through resilience to drought and other climate risks.
Which SDG 6 target covers water-use efficiency?
Target 6.4: by 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity. Its indicator 6.4.1 tracks the change in water-use efficiency over time.
How can a company contribute to SDG 6?
By measuring consumption, setting an intensity indicator, cutting waste and leaks, reusing water where quality allows, treating effluent and reporting results with recognised indicators, such as those of the GRI 303 standard.
How many people lack safe drinking water in the world?
2.1 billion, 1 in 4 people, according to the WHO and UNICEF report released in August 2025. Another 3.4 billion lack safely managed sanitation.
Sources
- United Nations, Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all: SDG 6 targets and indicators
- United Nations, Goals 9, 12 and 13: targets 9.4, 12.2, 12.6 and 13.1
- WHO, “1 in 4 people globally still lack access to safe drinking water”, with UNICEF, 26/08/2025: safely managed drinking water and sanitation worldwide in 2024
- Instituto Trata Brasil and GO Associados. Ranking do Saneamento 2026 (SINISA, 2024), in Portuguese: water, sewage collection and treatment in Brazil
- T&D SEA 360Âş
