In response to the mining sector’s growing need for sustainable water management – and the complex water challenges faced across our operations – we launched the Global Water Challenge, an open innovation initiative designed to identify and de-risk breakthrough water treatment technologies. This initiative evolved into the Water Cohort; a structured program aimed at advancing potential solutions for site-specific water challenges. 

The initiative aligns with our Water Stewardship Position Statement, which includes a vision for a water secure world by 2030 and is consistent with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Our Position Statement is underpinned by our Water Stewardship Strategy and guided by our context-based water targets, which help us address the shared challenges and opportunities within the catchments where we operate. 

In seeking to learn and innovate – one of the five pillars of our Water Stewardship Strategy – we aim to leverage and develop technology solutions to prevent or significantly reduce adverse water-related impacts, increase water efficiency and deliver benefits beyond our operated assets. 

The Global Water Challenge initiative was launched at Expomin in Santiago, Chile  
in FY2023 and attracted 166 applications from 17 countries. Over 200 attendees, including industry experts, stakeholders, and BHP representatives attended the Demo Day. 

Following a rigorous selection process, five innovators were selected to form the Global Water Cohort and matched with a BHP asset to address a specific water challenge, including: 

• reducing brines from a reverse osmosis plant at Escondida in Chile 
• treating and reusing brines from tailings storage facilities in Olympic Dam in South Australia 
• recovering salts from saturated brines at the Jansen potash project in Canada 
• treating acidic pit lake waters at legacy assets in the United States 

The 12-week program, which commenced in February 2025, included access to site data, mentorship and real water samples. Preliminary results have been promising, with technologies demonstrating potential to treat complex water types under operational conditions. One example is a pilot underway at Olympic Dam, focused on reducing brines from tailings storage.  

The Global Water Challenge initiative is helping tackle shared water challenges through collaboration, experimentation and innovation. The initiative continues to build momentum, which, subject to further piloting, may offer a blueprint that can be scaled across the mining industry in the future.