Consumers expect companies to advocate for stronger water protection policies
Agreement on the need is highest in Africa and the Middle East. Read More
- The majority of consumers globally agree that companies should actively encourage governments to do more to protect water.
- Expectations are strongest in regions facing acute water stress, such as in Africa and the Middle East.
- Large companies are seen as influential actors with the ability and responsibility to encourage stronger protection when public systems fall short.
Increasingly, consumers want businesses to advocate for better water quality.
Trellis data partner GlobeScan found that, in addition to wanting companies to manage their own water use properly, people also expect large companies to leverage their influence to support stronger protection of water quality. This insight follows the recent finding that water pollution ranks as the world’s most serious environmental issue according to consumers. Together, these findings highlight the depth of consumer concern about water quality and the strong expectations about who should act as water climbs the global policy and business agenda.
Globally, agreement that large companies have a responsibility to encourage governments to do more to protect water reaches exceptionally high levels in every region where consumers were surveyed. In Africa and the Middle East, Latin America and Asia-Pacific, nearly nine in 10 consumers agree that companies have a responsibility to put pressure on governments to act, as these are regions where water scarcity, unsafe water and pollution are more often experienced as direct threats to health, food security and livelihoods.
In Europe and North America, agreement is strong but slightly less intense. This pattern aligns with broader GlobeScan findings showing that consumers in higher-income markets may feel more buffered by infrastructure, regulation or distance from water stress, even while acknowledging its importance.
Importantly, consumers in all regions appear to recognize water as a systemic challenge that cannot be addressed by public policy in isolation. Large companies are seen as influential actors with the ability and responsibility to encourage stronger protection when public systems fall short.
What this means
These findings signal strong social license for corporate advocacy on water protection as it moves higher on the global agenda. For businesses, this points both to an opportunity and a risk. Remaining silent or narrowly focused on internal water efficiency may fall short of consumer expectations, particularly in regions where water stress is most visible. Encouraging stronger public protection can help align corporate action with consumer views of shared responsibility, reinforcing credibility and relevance as water becomes an increasingly defining sustainability issue.
Based on a survey of nearly 32,000 consumers conducted July — August 2025.
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