The role for transdisciplinarity in water accounting by business: reflections and opportunities

Pressure on water resources necessitates vigilant water management by business. As business is one of the largest users of freshwater, backing for improved management is essential. Literature indicates that voluntary corporate water accounting initiatives are designed to provide relevant support for better water management, but have several shortcomings. These are identified in the article. Because of its general use for addressing complex issues in sustainability, the article considers transdisciplinarity to help overcome some of the existing shortcomings associated with water accounting developments for business. Two main characteristics of transdisciplinarity are explored in the context of such water accounting. First is an integrative collaboration between, across and beyond different disciplines. Second is engagement with non-academic stakeholders as equal partners in the research process. Based on identified necessary improvements required for business water accounting and the promising prospects for resolving these by application of transdisciplinarity, an agenda for future research is proposed, to act as a catalyst towards better water accounting and water management.