UK businesses told they must save water to secure their future

The Government-funded agency issued its warning in light of research from climate change consultancy firm WSP showing more than 90 per cent of sustainability specialists, across a wide-range of private and public sector organisations, believe a water crisis is looming.

Environment Agency figures published in March this year confirm this view, suggesting that UK groundwater will begin to decrease by 2025, with the overall amount of water available in English and Welsh rivers reducing by 15 per cent by 2050.

“Water is set to become one of the most dramatically affected resources as the impact of climate change takes hold,” said Envirowise water specialist Claire Sweeney.

She expressed concern that many businesses have not yet taken action to mitigate the effects of future water shortages.

“UK companies should explore practical steps including water saving devices and water recovery and reuse technology, such as membrane filtration systems, which enable a large proportion of wastewater to be reused for processes such as heating, cooling and cleaning,” she suggested.

“This can result in major cost savings through lower mains water and disposal charges, as well as an enhanced environmental reputation with customers and investors.”

UK businesses that pay income or corporation tax can also claim tax relief on recovery and reuse systems and water saving devices through the Water Technology List, which is managed by Defra and HM Revenue & Customs in partnership with Envirowise

Research previously published by Envirowise suggested UK companies could be missing out on combined savings of up to £10 million per day by failing to make changes in their water usage – so even without the sustainability issues, action in this area would appear to make good business sense. 

There is a suggestion in the WSP research that the threat of dwindling water supplies is often overshadowed by the issue of carbon emissions – and that it shouldn’t be.

Seventy per cent of the sustainability experts surveyed said they believe that the risks of water scarcity are equal to the impact of carbon emissions. 

Almost as many (65 per cent) believe that governments around the world need to take further steps to ensure that policy on water shortages catches up with legislation surrounding carbon emissions.

Not that the issue of reducing water usage has been completely overlooked by those setting public policy. For example, London Mayor Boris Johnson has released a draft water strategy in a bid to protect the capital's future water resources and embarked on a three-month consultation on the issue.