Would industries remain inactive if tomorrow they were deprived of energy? No. Yet, European industries risk drowning themselves in this situation due to another vital economic resource: water. The revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive is the once-in-a-generation opportunity to turn water risks into industrial opportunity. Whether one likes it or not, water stress is increasingly putting industrial value chains under pressure due to water pollution and scarcity. The World Resource Institute predicts a 56% gap between water supply and demand by 2030. Europe will not escape from this risk, as demonstrated by the winter droughts we are currently facing. In addition, industrial emissions into water did not really decrease last decade, threatening all the more water availability. Industries need to integrate water risks into their core business. If industries seem to be aware of energy issues linked to their production, they shall start factoring in the water-related ones. Industries will pay 5 times more with a business-as-usual behaviour than investing to tackle water risks in their activities. For instance, the cost of derogating to the thermal pollution’s standards, in order to ensure France’s energy security, would have been avoided by implementing water-smart measures. Solutions do exist! The European […]
Transforming water risks into the industry’s opportunity for the next decade
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