The webinar ‘Water is Everyone’s Business’ took place today during Water Innovation Europe 2020. The webinar was moderated by Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Co-President of the Club of Rome; UN Sustainable Development. The panel counted with the participation of Therese Noorlander, Sustainability Director Europe at the Coca-Cola Company; Ester Asin, Director European Policy Office at WWF, Veronica Manfredi, Director Quality of Life, Directorate General ENV, at the European Commission and David Martin, VP Government Relations Europe at Ecolab.
Below, you can find the most important messages discussed during the webinar:
The WFD is one of the most ambitious and holistic pieces of the environmental legislation. We would like to thank the European Commission for standing by the evidence and giving the WFD the final sign-off. Now we need fast-track implementation.
Water scarcity is not just a “southern issue”. Brussels is the 2nd most scarce city in Europe. Smart, sustainable water management – as ensured through the WFD – is the only way in which we can safeguard Europe’s water supply for future generations.
There is so much knowledge that stays internally in specific organisations. We all need to learn what happens. People who can do something about the challenges we face, are not all biologists & scientists, but they are willing to understand & we should make sure they do.
Water risks are amongst the biggest risks to business continuity. Whatever is good for water, is good for businesses. The member states need support from civil society and businesses alike to make this a reality.
The lesson from the COVID19 crisis is that we have to start designing our systems to function with greater resilience. We need to transform by design and not by a disaster. We have to think every aspect of this renovation, to break the silos, to think water as an important part of the nexus with other sectors.
A business that invests in high standard for water is not only for the environment but also for the competitiveness of the company.
This webinar follows up the release of the ‘Water is everyone’s business’, which has been endorsed by Water Europe and 24 other organisations and businesses that stand with the 375,000 European citizens who have urged the EU governments & the European Commission to preserve the European Union’s ground-breaking Water Framework Directive in its current form.
The European Commission has recently replied that keeps the WFD in its current form. Click here to find more information.
