New Water Europe Manifesto: Making Water a Top Priority in 2024

Water Europe unveils today its new manifesto, calling upon European policymakers to adopt a Water-Smart strategy with a strong political accountability.

It’s not news that water is vital for all the strategic sectors in Europe but our continent keeps facing growing water challenges. The European elections will be a key moment for shaping EU policies for the next five years and ensuring secure, sustainable and resilient water. Will we seize this opportunity? This is the moment to make progress towards a more sustainable, secure, and resilient future for water management in Europe and beyond.

Water Europe calls upon policymakers to adopt an ambitious and holistic European Water-Smart Strategy with strategic political accountability within the European Commission for its the next term 2024-2029. To know more, read the full manifesto at this link.

Nature found a solution & we mimicked it: Now, how can we apply biologically inspired grey-green solutions in different contexts?

Innovation processes in nature are very different from the industrial approach. Using local resources and in an ambient-conditions-driven manufacturing process mother nature produces millions of slightly adapted, locally attuned ‘solutions’ and waits for generations to find the stronger ones. Industrial innovation can effectively make use of these results by taking a close look on nature’s results and mimicking the conditions and processes. That is why Water Europe organised a webinar “Biologically Inspired Design for a Water Smart Technology”. Alessandro Bianciardi (Planet s.a.s. ) drove us into the fascinating and inspiring world of nature and human designs and how both can support Water-Smart Societies.

Water Europe’s Vision Leadership Team (VLT) Grey-Green Infrastructure  has already explored some of these issues in the “White Paper on Hybrid Grey-Green Infrastructure”  and the blog “Water Management turns green by blending blue, green, grey and smart communities”.  But our examination on this topic could be deepened by looking into nature as a source of inspiration for Water-Smart Societies. The VLT reflects on the problems and demands of Europe’s water sector and its challenges of replacing old and building new, sustainable and resilient infrastructure.  This is by mobilizing cross-sectoral stakeholders to develop, test and mainstream effective grey-green solutions, i.e. smart combinations of nature-based and water-technological solutions for water supply, sanitation, surface and groundwater management. The current problems in Europe with drought, flooding and pollution illustrate the need for a new approach to water management, including new solutions. The webinar was meant to trigger developments.

Innovation using Biomimicry

Bianciardi showed several examples of biomimicry for water-related issues. Two of these were:

Bio-domes for wastewater treatment: They sit on the floor of a lagoon and are completely submerged. The Bio‐Domes enhance the naturally occurring biological system by providing 2800 square feet of surface area per unit, a gas delivery mechanism capable of providing air or more specific gasses as necessary, an environment protected from UV light, and significant mixing action to ensure nutrient availability to the biology as it grows. When used in a wastewater lagoon, the enhanced biology is capable of accelerating nitrification of ammonium and the subsequent denitrification of nitrates and nitrites. Additionally, the gas delivery/aeration design helps reduce BOD levels. (https://wastewater-compliance-systems.com/products/bio-domes/)

Cocoon to cope with droughts: Trees can influence the micro-climate and create less arid conditions; however, it is difficult to create forest under dry conditions. The Cocoon is designed to support a seedling through its critical first year. By providing water and shelter, while stimulating the seedling to produce a healthy and deep root structure, tapping into the sub-surface water supply. The result is independent, healthy trees that are not reliant on external irrigation that can survive in harsh conditions. They need 25 liters only at planting, the cocoons are 100% biodegradable, and the survival rate is 75-95%. (A new way to fix the planet — Land Life Company).

These solutions are good examples of grey-green infrastructures in an innovative stage. Nature has found a solution, man mimicked it and the potential functioning has been shown. Now it needs to be picked up by early-adopters so that the functioning in other places can be examined.

Next development steps can be defined using the four components of the Symbiosis Readiness Level: technology level, ecological level, management level and business level. For example:

The true challenge is to apply biologically inspired grey-green solutions in different societal, cultural, governance and economic contexts, to deal with periods of extreme rainfall or drought and to achieve ‘zero pollution’. We need to start nexus thinking and bringing back together what we have been separating in the past.  So, what needs to be done to involve cross-sectoral disciplines on the topic of grey-green infrastructures in highly dense urban populations? Or how can we achieve a shift in thinking around the integration of grey-green, central plus decentral technologies in the collective mind of our society? And, above all, how to become more aware of the responses of nature when playing with it?

Next Steps

A wide consensus on the potential of biologically inspired solutions for water issues has been observed among international to SME companies, NGOs, public organisations, and the scientific community. Examples already exist at various TRL (Technology Readiness Level) stages; examples like the Urban Waterbuffer and the Polder Roof® are ready for deployment. Adding the components Ecology, Management and Business, as introduced by the Symbiosis Readiness Level (SRL), is, however, essential to mainstream these and other innovations and transform inspiring concepts into the ‘normal’, every-day practice in our territories and cities. A multi-disciplinary approach is required. How can practitioners be trained to (1) innovate more like nature than by using mechanical and thermal ‘heat, beat & treat’ processes and (2) invite experts in governance, economic, ecological and social issues to co-create effective and attractive, feasible solutions.

The need for sustainable, circular and adaptable solutions in the fields of water supply, sanitation, drainage, surface and groundwater management is evident. Droughts, floods, pollution and aged water infrastructure will force us to action. Effective grey-green solutions can be found by taking a close look at nature and using it’s local resources, processes and strategies to solve problems.  A successful introduction in the market is however not only a matter of more smart technologies, inspired by nature. It is about integrating these solutions in the policies, regulations, organization and financing structures; this all requires a multi-disciplinary approach. High time to start this process in and amongst our organizations.

Fate and transport of nanoparticles, microplastics, cyanotoxins and anti-microbials: what do we know?

Our quality-of-life benefits from a wide range of materials, chemicals and micro-organisms. However, during several stages of their production and use, they end up in surface waters where they can have adverse effects for health of people, animals and ecosystems.

The WE White Paper on Zero Pollution concludes that regulations and environmental quality standards are required for prioritised contaminants of emerging concern in water. However, a better understanding of the effects of their presence in the environment is needed for a more reliable prioritisation. We critically need more information on transport, fate and toxicity of chemicals mixtures, cyanotoxins, but also nanoparticles and microplastics. This includes further understanding of the development of anti-microbial resistance. Monitoring and modelling are required to complete the lacking datasets and support the development of an integrated understanding.

Read our White Paper “Towards a zero-pollution strategy for contaminants of emerging concern in the urban water cycle” to find out the current gaps in knowledge and our recommendations for policy development.

Registrations are now open for Water Knowledge Europe 2023

Registrations for Water Knowledge Europe 2023 are officially open. The next Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025-2027 is coming up and we are excited to reveal to you all the exclusive opportunities. Join us on October 17-19 in Brussels for the Networking and Brokerage event (18/10), and two exciting side events: Future Water KIC (17/10) and Workshop on Horizon Europe priorities and “ZeroPollution4Water Cluster” (19/10).

Check the event agenda and register here.

5 Reasons to Join WKE2023
– Discover the opportunities presented by the Work Programme 2024 of Horizon Europe;
– Gain invaluable guidance for crafting winning project proposals;
-Engage and network during the B2B meetings with potential partners and coordinators;
– Have your say for the development of the next Work Programme of Horizon Europe;
– Discover the Action Plan of the ZeroPollution4Water Cluster.

On September 13th, from 10:00 to 11:00, we will host the Water Knowledge Europe 2023 pre-event webinar to offer you a sneak preview of the main event and explore what’s on the event agenda. Whether you’re curious to join WKE2023 or not, this webinar will help you decide!

Click here to sign up for the webinar.

The Sustainable Development Report 2023: Tracking Progress Towards SDGs

The Sustainable Development Report 2023 has been released, revealing a sobering reality: the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (#SDGs) is off track. The report sheds light on critical areas that require immediate attention and outlines four key recommendations to reform the Global Financial Architecture.

The report’s findings call for increased investment in statistical capacity and data literacy to support long-term pathways for vital SDG transformations. Additionally, it emphasizes the need for countries to self-critically review and revise their national SDG strategies, ensuring a collective commitment to strengthen multilateralism.

One of the key conclusions is the concerning state of responsible consumption and production in OECD countries. Major challenges persist, necessitating urgent actions to improve water efficiency and pollution reduction in industries and agriculture, in line with SDG 12.

Commissioner Sinkevičius Intervention at Water Innovation Europe 2023

I have to say that when I saw the title “water innovation”, that grabbed my attention. If there is one thing that is very clear about the future of water, it is the need for more innovation. The challenges are significant – extreme weather events that are becoming more common, pollution from chemicals and nutrients, water scarcity in places that have never previously experienced drought.

We will need ambitious measures for water management, and new technologies to tackle these problems. That makes today’s theme very timely indeed.

These technologies are advancing, all around the world.

When the OECD looked into this in 2020, they found a vibrant global industry, with water-related innovation moving quickly on many sides. The number of patents related to water has increased substantially since 1990. But that picture is mixed.

The number of patents related to water pollution abatement, water supply and water demand was a mere 1.3% of all patents filed around the world. I think that means there is still a huge, untapped potential, here in the EU, to increase that percentage.  And we do need innovation, like never before.

We also need an adequate legal framework.

When we look at the current framework, we see that a lot of progress has been made in the past twenty years since the adoption of EU water framework directive. If our waters are cleaner, that’s largely due to the ambitious objectives we put in place in EU law, and to the incentives they created for some huge investments in wastewater treatment.

But the current laws can only take us so far. There is still plenty of room for improvement.

Most of the improvements we have in mind are sketched out in the European Green Deal, our overarching plan to build up the sustainability of the EU economy. Water is a constant presence in that Deal, because it touches on almost every policy area.

The Green Deal was adopted in 2019, and since then, we have revised many areas of legislation. We have proposed changes to laws on industrial emissions, on drinking water, on urban wastewater treatment, nature restoration, and on integrated water management. With each of these proposals, we’ve taken great care to ensure that the new standards can drive innovation, by increasing the quality of available data, promoting information sharing, foregrounding nature-based solutions, and supporting emerging technologies.

Let’s look at some of these elements in a little more detail. In our revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive, there is a whole new chapter on promoting innovation. That includes creating an innovation centre for industrial transformation and emissions – we call it INCITE for short.

It works by allowing frontrunners to enjoy temporary derogations, so that they can test emerging technologies. These provisions should enable a major push for innovation, and I hope we see those effects in areas where they are really needed, like EU patents for water pollution abatement and water efficiency solutions.

Similarly, in the context of the revision of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, there’s also a very strong innovation component. The aim is to raise the quality of treatment, so we are looking to increase the use of more sophisticated treatment techniques. That way we address more pollutants, we facilitate water reuse, and we encourage the sector to play a full role in the EU transformation to carbon neutrality, by requiring energy neutrality in wastewater treatment at the national level.

When we revised the Drinking Water Directive, we took pains to encourage resource efficiency, and the more sustainable management of drinking water.

This foregrounding of technology is also a feature of the recent proposal on integrated water management.

This legislation is designed to help reduce or remove pollutants from groundwater and surface waters, and it comes with a strong emphasis on emerging contaminants like microplastics and antimicrobial resistant genes. These are areas where many technologies and testing methods still need to be developed.

The new regulation on water reuse will apply as of this month. I don’t need to explain to you the importance of water reuse in the current context. But I do want to point out this legislation should help bring about a significant increase in the use of technologies for recycling treated wastewater. That’s great news for agriculture in these difficult times. These standards should strengthen the trust of farmers and consumers alike.

Incidentally, the nature restoration law, which is currently the subject of lively discussions, will be another very important tool for Europe’s waters. Directly, because restoring ecosystems works wonders for flood prevention and control, while also safeguarding supplies of drinking water, and indirectly, because by restoring biodiversity we are securing the basic foundations of our society.

We see the evidence of growing water scarcity all around us; evidence that our water use is fundamentally out of sync with water availability. Everyone concerned about water quantity and quality should give the Nature Restoration Law their wholehearted support. Nature can retain water, can purify water, can reduce evaporation. As I said the other day, if you destroy nature, you destroy the economy.

And of course, all of these changes will do much more than cleaning up Europe’s waters. These technologies will also help nurse our ecosystems back to health, and they also have potential for reducing costs for water consumers.

I’m sure you’ll agree that what I have set out there is a comprehensive programme of legislation. But it answers a very real need.

And we also come with a broad selection of tools to help these changes take shape on the ground.

One example is the Taxonomy Regulation, a powerful lever for enabling change. It will help scale up investment financing to emerging technologies that are environmentally sustainable, enabling both their development and their deployment.

This is particularly important for water, where the scale of investment is often considerable.

Under the new Horizon Europe programme for 2023 – 2024, more than 13 billion euros are allocated to research and innovators in Europe. New in the Horizon Europe are the EU missions which bring concrete solutions to some of our greatest challenges.

Particularly important here are the missions “Restore our Ocean and Waters“, and “Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities”.

Speaking about the cities, the Green City Accord will support, with a dedicated group of European cities, the delivery of the European Green Deal and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

And this brings us to buildings as the Renovation Wave for Europe and the New European Bauhaus initiative foresee higher and innovative water standards, water efficiency and reuse, or rain harvesting, to improve and innovate in the construction sector.

We can do a lot with technology.

It will always be essential in helping us use this precious resource in the most efficient manner. Pollution abatement, zero carbon – the list of vital applications is long.

But we can’t solve everything with a technological fix.

This was spelt out very clearly by the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, in the report called Turning the Tide.

Simply put, we use too much water. We need to face that fact, tackle the causes, and change the current paradigm. Our world is changing, and we need different attitudes to water consumption.

Tackling those causes means addressing prices that are simply too low. It means removing subsidies that fuel the excessive consumption of water. It means the wider use of water footprints to promote efficiency, and identify unsustainable use.

And it means changing our attitudes to water investment. Investments must be aligned with broader objectives, like fairness and social protection, and most importantly of all, with water management that is sustainable and climate-resilient.

I think the impetus we need is already here.

The UN Water conference in New York this year created significant momentum, driving forward the global water agenda. It showed a remarkable consensus on major issues, like the urgent need to address rising water stress around the world, and the interconnections with the planetary crises involving energy, health, and food.

The key outcome – the Water Action Agenda – was endorsed by all.

Its aim is to turn that political momentum into tangible and ambitious action, addressing these global challenges to our water.

With our long tradition of shared water legislation, solid water management experience, and cutting edge research and innovation, the EU agreed a 2050 vision of water resilience, and submitted 33 commitments to the conference.

Placing water resilience at the heart of our position, we want to fundamentally rebalance water demand with water supply, while also repairing and restoring the systems that provide us with clean freshwater.

Now it’s time to follow up on those commitments, and ensure that the New York Conference was not a one-off. The EU is determined to safeguard the long-term impact of the action agenda.

We will implement those outcomes at the EU level, and also ensure that they get carried forward on the global stage.

That starts with ensuring that our union is not just climate resilient, but water resilient as well. It also means meeting our target of zero pollution by the year 2050. Together with improving quality, we must also solve the challenge of quantity.

We all know that our continent is facing rising water scarcity and droughts. This issue of quantity – too little, or sometimes even, too much – is rising to the top of the political agenda.

What we see is not only the result of climate change. It’s also the result of decades of bad water management.

Of straightening rivers, of illegal abstraction, of planting water-intensive crops in areas that are naturally dry. And of the linear use of water, with no consideration for reuse.

All of these problems must be addressed. They are now luxuries of a bygone age. We must change. Because we cannot face the consequences of failing to change.

It can be done – we have the plans and the vision we need. And on that note, let me finish by welcoming the recently launched vision of Water Europe.

The objectives of your paper – water security, water sustainability and water resilience – strongly match our own. And as you so rightly say, innovation will play a key role in realising a vision centred on the value of water.

In this vision, we cannot create a water-smart society by technology alone. Society must acknowledge the true value of water. Economists around the world are scratching their heads as they try to establish the economic value of water.

We know the truth. Its true value goes far beyond any economic price. So let’s cherish our waters.

Thank you for your attention.

Hans Goossens, Summer editorial 2023

Dear Water Europe friends,

We count some weeks after the conclusion of a very enthusiastic 2023 edition of our Water Innovation Europe conference. The event, if anything else, clearly demonstrated the existing awareness of the need to push water higher on the political agenda. With the EU commission’s mandate coming to an end next year, it was just the right time to raise the question: EU Water Policy- what’s next?

The conference brought forward the need to push for legislation that allows the achievement of a Water-Smart Society with circular water, digital water, inclusive water, multiple waters, and resilient water. At the same time, it also demonstrated how many things we can do in the here and now. We don’t have to wait for a Blue Deal and a new legislation to fight against the climate crisis. We can already seize existing opportunities and must take action now!

There is no green without blue, and there is no blue without green. If we look at how we can make a resilient water society and infrastructure, we need to rebalance with nature. Water is part of nature and helps us having and maintaining a healthy nature.  And a healthy nature on its term helps us having healthy water resources. When it e.g. comes to groundwater, a good state of the ecosystem helps us keep the water clean and restore the good quality of our waters. Blue and green are always interlinked.

Commissioner Sinkevičius, who delivered the conference’s keynote speech, demonstrated a broad understanding of our challenges and the need to act quickly and implement the measures to fight against climate extremes and ensure that we build resilience in the ecosystem. Besides clear awareness of the need for action, he also showed his ambition for Europe to take a leading and exemplary role for the other continents throughout this process.

One of the conference’s highlights was also the recognition of the five innovation award winners who all had very valuable proposals in their categories. Of course, there could only be one winner for each category, but it has been very positive to receive that many proposals of such a high quality which made it really difficult for us to select. This is a great sign of the innovation capability present, and that is exactly what’s needed for the Water-Smart Society. Innovation builds on fertile knowledge as it brings new technologies and new insights into implementation. Without implementation, there is no innovation. Only science and technology. That’s why we put so much emphasis on the living labs.

The next meeting, now, of our community is Water Knowledge Europe that is coming from the 17^th to the 19^th of October and for which we have already started the preparations.  In the meantime, the summer is ahead of us and regardless of whether we go to the sea, mountains or choose for a city trip,  water will be there. With such observations, these holidays can be inspiring on the role of water in the local ecosystem, its impact on our future and the type of measures we need to take to ensure that the future will be water-smart. With this, I wish you all an enjoyable and restful summer break!

The Water-Smart Society is part of the key takeaways from the UN Water Conference 2023

The United Nations 2023 Water Conference was held from 22 to 24 March at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. This significant event, marking the first UN Water Conference in a generation, was co-hosted by the governments of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Tajikistan. The organisers released the post-materials of the conference, including statements made during the Plenary Sessions, summaries of the Interactive Dialogues, Special Events, Side Events, and a Stakeholder Engagement and Impact Report of the UN 2023 Water Conference.

Water Europe’s approach is recognised in the documents and key takeaways since the Dushanbe declaration in 2022. In particular, the Summary for the UN 2023 water conference includes two recommendations from the interactive dialogue led by the European Union and China in order to re-define financial principles to make our economies water-, climate-, land- and ecosystems- smart and people-centric:

• All sectoral investment strategies must become water-smart, especially regarding energy, backed by strategic environmental assessments and low-water footprint.
• Investments must be mobilized in water-smart technology and water-risk resilient infrastructures, backed by a sustainable finance policy (e.g. through taxonomies and disclosure rules) and water pricing mechanisms with targeted social safeguards. We should also redirect any existing harmful subsidies.

For more information:

•  Press Release | Historic UN Conference marks watershed moment to tackle global water crisis and ensure water-secure future
•  Plenary statements
•  Interactive Dialogue summaries
•  Special Events summaries
•  Side Events summaries
•  Exhibitions summaries
•  Stakeholder Engagement and Impact Report of the UN 2023 Water Conference
•  PGA77 Summary for the UN 2023 Water Conference
•  Watch the Conference on UN Web TV

New Water Europe White Papers announced

Two new Water Europe white papers were broadly announced during our Water Innovation Europe 2023 conference, held on June 20-22 in Brussels.

The Water Europe Working Group Water and Public Health announced the paper ‘The role of water in the issue of public health’ during the Water Projects Europe 2023 side event, held on June 21. You can check the full paper at this link.

On the following day, the Water Europe Working Group Water Beyond Europe announced their paper ‘Building effective water dialogues and alliances making international cooperation in water innovation work’, available at this link.

Interview with Jonas Fredsted Villadsen, Regional Director, Public Affairs & Εxternal Relations at Grundfos & Water Europe Board Member of Multinational Corporations

You are a Water Europe board member of college A ‘Multinational Corporations’- Could you tell us what drives you personally to have this role at Water Europe? What do you want to achieve?

My professional career has been about pushing for positive changes in how we treat the environment. Water Europe is a place to meet and discuss with like-minded who have the same passion. We all are ready to bring our expertise and commitment into play and to help solve Europe’s common water challenges. With the rest of the board members and collaborators at Water Europe, I’m dedicated to giving the water agenda the attention it deserves in European politics. Together we in the coalition at Water Europe highlight that water innovation is essential for the water sector, renewable energy, the European industrial complex, and the European way of life.

Why is it important for Grundfos to be part of Water Europe? 

Grundfos is a value-driven company, and our commitment to securing that everyone around the world has access to clean water is deeply rooted in Grundfos’s DNA. To respect, protect and advance the flow of water and to ensure that we have an intelligent answer to the challenges posed by climate change and resulting water scarcity, we are ready to bring our expertise, technology, and commitment into play to help solve our common water challenges. But it is something we cannot do alone. Together with the other members of Water Europe, we share best-practices for bringing water to people and helping Europe live up to our global responsibilities as expressed in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which both we, from Grundfos and Water Europe, are committed to helping achieve.

Which ones do you consider the biggest challenges of the European water sector at the moment, and how do you see us overcoming them? 

In the past couple of years, it has become adamant that the challenges we are facing regarding water management. The European Industry is water dependent and is already facing water risks due to, for example, water scarcity, impacting not only jobs but the resilience and competitiveness of the European economy. Solutions are needed in each part of the water cycle to alleviate this. Decarbonising the water cycle is of utmost importance, and we need to speed up the green transitions to reach the climate change targets set out in the European green deal. Green and blue solutions go hand-in-hand, and energy efficiency has great potential in the water sector. Challenges of this magnitude are not to be solved by one company or one sector working alone. We can achieve much more together when working across spheres, joining public, political and private stakeholders.

Building a Water-Smart Society is our vision. Which actions shall we prioritise to make this happen?

Digitalisation. Through digital solutions, we can gather valuable data to build more efficient water systems by detecting leaks and revamping aging infrastructure where needed. With smart sensors and digital solutions, we can cut down on non-revenue water and conserve water. Closing the water loop should be prioritised across Europe. Smart water use involves reusing water and finding ways to best utilise the water available in Europe. Setting up cascading water systems where fit-for-purpose water is reused in industries, homes and irrigation will enhance water availability, putting less pressure on our precious water resource, and alleviate the impact of droughts in places where water scarcity is becoming an issue. With Water-Smart solutions, excess heat from industrial processes and data centers can be put into the district heating grids. These solutions will play an essential part in securing the green transition.