Microsoft is at the beginning of a journey towards better water management, responding to increasing global water stress due to climate change, population increases and economic development. 

"How do we bring better orchestration and a more formalized approach to water stewardship for Microsoft data centers, manufacturing sites and real estate offices around the world?" said Josh Henretig, senior director of sustainability at Microsoft. 

The 2016 U.S. presidential election left a lot at stake for environmental policy and corporate social responsibility. But businesses have the power to push for the policies they need to ensure a sustainable future. 

"It's important to tell lawmakers the business case you know so well," said Anne Kelley, Ceres' senior program director of policy and BICEP program. 

Businesses also have a responsibility to tell their success stories out loud over various forms of media, she said: "The money you're saving, the emissions you're bringing down, the materials you're recycling."

Companies need to spend more time thinking about how climate and environment are going to affect the financial performance of the company, said Lucy Nottingham, director of Marsh & McLennan's global risk center.

Mark Buckley, vice president of environmental affairs at Staples, has been with the company for more than two decades — and in a sustainability role for 15 years. 

"Businesses have gone through an evolution of change in the past 15 years," he said, including sustainability having become a core value for corporations and their customers.