Arabic Sustainability Dictionary

Waste diversion rate

The share of total waste generated that is diverted from disposal.

Waste diverted from disposal

Waste that is prepared for reuse, recycled or otherwise recovered instead of being landfilled or incinerated.

Waste hierarchy

An order of preference for waste management: prevention, preparing for reuse, recycling, other recovery and, last, disposal.

Waste-to-energy (WtE)

Processes that generate electricity or heat from waste, mainly through incineration with energy recovery or anaerobic digestion.

Wastewater treatment

Physical, chemical and biological processes that remove contaminants from used water before discharge or reuse.

Water consumption

Water withdrawn that is not returned to its source or a third party, commonly calculated as water withdrawal minus water discharge.

Water discharge

The total volume of effluent and other water leaving an organisation's boundaries to surface water, groundwater, seawater or a third party during a period.

Water efficiency

Achieving the same output or service with less water.

Water footprint

The total volume of freshwater used directly and indirectly to produce a product or service or by an organisation.

Water intensity

Water withdrawn or consumed per unit of output or economic activity.

Water recycled and reused

Water that has been used and is then treated, where needed, and used again within the organisation before discharge.

Water scarcity

A lack of sufficient available freshwater to meet demand, whether because of physical shortage or inadequate infrastructure.

Water security

Reliable access to sufficient water of acceptable quality for health, livelihoods, ecosystems and production, with acceptable water-related risks.

Water stewardship

The use of water in a way that is socially equitable, environmentally sustainable and economically beneficial, achieved through site and catchment-based actions.

Water stress

A condition in which demand for water exceeds the available renewable supply in a given area, or poor quality restricts its use.

Water withdrawal

The total volume of water drawn into an organisation from all sources, such as surface water, groundwater, seawater and third-party supply, during a period.

Water-related risk

Physical, regulatory and reputational risks to an organisation arising from water scarcity, flooding, pollution or water governance.

Watershed

An area of land that drains rainfall and streams to a common outlet, such as a river, lake or sea.

Weighted average carbon intensity (WACI)

A portfolio metric equal to the average of investees' emissions per unit of revenue, weighted by each holding's share of the portfolio.

Well-below 2°C

A level of ambition consistent with keeping global warming well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, as set out in the Paris Agreement.

Whistleblowing

The confidential reporting of suspected wrongdoing within an organisation through protected channels.

Wind power

Electricity generated by turbines that convert the kinetic energy of wind into mechanical and then electrical energy.

Work-related fatality

A death resulting from a work-related injury or ill health.

Workers in the value chain

People who work in a company's upstream or downstream value chain but are not part of its own workforce; covered by ESRS S2.

Workforce localisation

Policies that increase the employment of a country's nationals in the private sector, such as Saudization programmes in Saudi Arabia.