18 th International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology Athens, Greece, 30 August to 2 September 2023 Collective Action for Sustainable Water Resource Management: Analytical Framework and Company Initiatives Tripathi S. K. 1 , Kiritsi A. 2 , Patiniotis I. 3 1 Berlin School of Business and Innovation, Karl-Marks Str., Berlin, Germany 2 Athens School of Economics , Evelpidon 47, Athens ,Greece 3 Kingston University, 55 Perhyn, Kingston UK *corresponding author:Kiritsi A. e-mail: anastasia.kiritsi@aueb.gr Abstract The water resource management is an important area for accomplishing the sustainability. During last one to two decades, there have been many innovations in managing the water resources at different levels and across different contexts. The present paper examines the innovation in sustainable water resource management at company or firm level. Based on the case-study analysis method, the paper examines the key learning from each of the selected ten (10) recent case-studies, selected from the different secondary open access sources. The findings offer a fresh perspective on the critical issues in identifying and managing the water resources sustainably. Keywords: Sustainability; Water Resource Management; Collective Action Introduction The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 6.0) calls for ensuring universal and equitable drinking water access to all around the world (UNDESA, n.d.). On the other side, there is a project that if we continue with the current rate of water consumption and pattern, 1.9 billion people will lack basic hygiene facilities and 1.6 billion people will lack drinking water by 2030 (UNDESA, ibid.). Water scarcity can be considered as an endemic due to local physical water stress along with rising freshwater pollution. The climate change is further worsening the situation. As per an estimate, 10% of the global population lives in countries with high or critical water stress (UNESCO, 2023). The continuously increasing water shortages are due to several factors. The demand for the water resources is on rise due to increasing population as well as industrial and economic development. The irresponsible water usage at different levels, which is often due to lack of awareness about the issue, also contribute significantly to the crisis. Larger industries and companies have great role to play in terms of encouraging responsible water use as well as employing practices that will reduce the industry cause pollution in the water. Recent case-studies on the water resource management indicates that the collaboration and collective action is the way forward towards sustainable water resource management. The Water Development Report 2023 (UNESCO, ibid.) indicates that during the period 2015 to 2018, the water use efficiency in the industrial sector by15%. The report also suggests that under the situations when internal and unilateral action does not produce the desired outcomes, the industry turns towards the collective action. In view of the increasing importance of collective action in sustainable water resource management, the current paper focuses on the following major research questions: i. What are some ways to engage in collective action for the sustainable water resource management (SWRM)? ii. How can we create collective action to accelerate the efforts for responsible use and preservation of water resource? iii. What are some key factors that drive the effective collective action towards SWRM? We will explore the above questions through the analysis of selected case studies based on published sources. The paper aims to contribute towards further discussion and research on collective action for effective water resource management. 2. Literature Review There is no uniform definition for Sustainable water management, however, it can be considered as the process of planning and action related to responsible use and preservation of water. As per the Water Foundation (WFO, 2020) sustainable water management implies using water in a way that meets the current needs for the without compromising the ability to meet the future needs. Realizing the sustainable resource management in practice can be possible when we work collaboratively and innovatively for solving the issue. Nelson (2017) suggests that the partnership based collaborative efforts can be vital in improving business contribution to sustainability. More specifically, the partnership can be helpful in: