For the past several years, sustainability has driven corporate strategies worldwide as government agencies, investors, and consumers have pressured organizations to reduce carbon footprints, increase transparency, develop responsible business practices, and use natural resources more efficiently.
Recently, however, it seems that some sustainability initiatives have lost their momentum… Or have they?
According to HEC Paris, a business school founded in 1881, the reality is more nuanced. “While some companies retreat, others are doubling down on sustainability, recognizing it as a strategic [corporate] necessity rather than a regulatory burden. Investors, consumers, and employees continue to demand greater accountability and transparency, pushing organizations to embed sustainability into their core business models.”
One area where this “doubling down” is particularly evident is water sustainability. Water scarcity and responsible water use have become growing concerns in most countries worldwide, including Canada, despite its reputation for being water-rich.
What is water sustainability? It is the efficient and equitable management of water resources to ensure long-term availability. This involves preserving both the quality and quantity of freshwater to meet current needs as well as the needs of future generations.
The history of water sustainability dates back to 2010, when the United Nations declared that access to clean water was a fundamental human right. The UN emphasized that water sustainability is crucial for protecting all forms of life, human dignity, economic stability, and business growth.
With this declaration came the prediction that due to population growth, increased urban habitation, and expanding economic development globally, there would be a significant increase in water demand.
Further, this situation has grown more challenging due to changes in our climate, including:
Disrupted precipitation patterns: Some regions of the world have experienced increased and more frequent droughts, while others have witnessed more frequent and intense floods. Both negatively impact water availability and quality.
Declining snowpack: Higher temperatures and dryness, particularly in parts of Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia, have produced greater and more frequent water shortages.
Groundwater depletion: Often overlooked, due to changing rainfall patterns, there has been a greater demand to extract underground water, and this is especially true in the U.S. The big issue is that once depleted, it can take centuries for these underground waters to become replenished.
Water infrastructure: Poorly maintained or dilapidated water infrastructure in the U.S., Canada, and other parts of the world results in billions of gallons of water wasted each year. In fact, recent research indicates that one in five gallons of treated drinking water in the U.S. is lost before it reaches customers.
Water sustainability’s impact on facility management and cleaning industries
With a clearer understanding of water sustainability, its evolution, and how a changing climate is intensifying water scarcity, we can examine why water sustainability matters to facility managers, the professional cleaning industry, and related industries.
Manufacturing delays
Products essential for daily facility operations and cleaning tasks face increasingly frequent delays. Since many cleaning products, equipment, and supplies require water-intensive manufacturing processes, water shortages directly disrupt production schedules and availability.
Rising costs
Water shortages drive up utility costs across all industries. When local water supplies become insufficient, some manufacturers must acquire water from distant sources or pay higher charges from their local utility. This significantly increases operational expenses, affecting product pricing throughout the supply chain.
Supply chain disruptions
Water scarcity affects not only product manufacturing but also distribution networks. These disruptions impact the availability of everything from paper products and cleaning chemicals to electronic equipment needed for facility operations.
Regulatory changes
Organizations operating in water-stressed regions increasingly face new regulations and usage restrictions. These evolving requirements can significantly impact building management practices and professional cleaning operations, often with little advance notice.
Where do we go from here?
Because water sustainability is a global issue, we are fortunate to have worldwide engineers, scientists, and water experts working to address these issues and advance water sustainability. For instance:
Desalination, which first started being used in the 1930s, has traditionally been expensive and waste-generating. But today, desalination costs have dropped by 45 per cent, and technologies are being introduced to reduce energy demand and minimize waste production.
Advanced water reuse plants are now being constructed globally, employing technologies such as biological treatment processes, membrane filtration, and advanced oxidation processes to filter for reuse. Note that water recycling and reuse systems are also being integrated into commercial facilities.
In-house solutions are also becoming much more prominent and play a crucial role in promoting water sustainability. Water-saving technologies for landscaping have become commonplace, and most importantly, water reduction systems in building restrooms, where facilities usually consume most of the water used in a facility, are reducing water consumption significantly.
From waste to efficiency
For decades, water waste was commonplace. Today, however, water waste is being replaced with water efficiency. It’s important to note here that water efficiency should not be confused with water conservation.
Water conservation is short-term water reduction, for instance, during an emergency or a drought. Water efficiency, on the other hand, involves long-term, permanent change to the amount of water we consume.
A compelling example of this is the transfer from traditional water-using urinals to no-water or waterless urinals. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that installing fifty waterless urinals in a school or office building can save a facility enough water to fill two Olympic-sized swimming pools.
What this tells us is that water sustainability is not only possible, but achievable. By making water sustainability a corporate strategy, businesses worldwide can use water more efficiently and sensibly, helping to foster economic stability, growth, and ensuring this vital resource is available for future generations.
Klaus Reichardt is a frequent speaker and author on water conservation issues. He is the founder and CEO of Waterless Co. Inc., a marketer of waterless urinals and other restroom products. He founded the company in 1991 to establish a new market segment in the plumbing fixture industry.
