Waterwise submitted a short response to this Cabinet Office consultation into introducing a mandatory requirement for a minimum 10% allowance in public procurement tenders for the delivery of social value, including environmental sustainability. Our response highlighted the positive role of water efficiency in social value and the benefits to the environment.

This note summarises the outcome from the 14th May 2019 joint workshop convened by Waterwise which looked at how we can raise the bar on water efficiency in the retail water market. It summarises the main challenges and opportunities that were identified and sets out a small number of proposed actions.

The Project “Political and sOcial awareness on Water EnviRonmental challenges” (POWER) has been funded by the EU under the H2020-ICT10c-2015 Call. With a budget of 3.747.937,50€ for 48 months of activities, from December 2015 to November 2019, the Project will set up a user-driven Digital Social Platform (DSP) for the expansion and governance of POWER existing water networks.

The POWER DSP will contribute to the Europe 2020 social policy objectives, to enable large-scale social innovation in order to tackle specific social challenges and support the uptake of the Horizon 2020 programme results. It will be a Digital Social Platform for innovation and growth, by engaging on a large scale with stakeholders in the co-creation and delivery of digital products and services to citizens involving awareness-raising, new policy initiatives and deployment.

Welsh Water planning document for winter water efficiency promotional events around Wales, following the success of summer 2018 internal events.

From experience we know that during the cold weather, customers often contact us with issues on their external pipes. A drop in temperature can cause water in pipes to freeze, triggering a burst when it thaws. A repair is then urgently needed, bringing expense and inconvenience.

With the winter fast approaching and the cold weather setting in, Dwr Cymru Welsh Water are reminding customers to protect their home and take advantage of our winter offer of a free lagging kit.

In 2017-2018 a number of home audits were carried out of customers to try and improve the water efficiency of their properties by supplying and fitting water efficiency products. This report shows the analysis of the outcomes of this project and how it can be improved upon going forward to provide customers with the best possible service in the most cost efficient way.

After the hottest June on record in Wales, which meant little, if any rainfall in most places. The Water Demand Strategy Team were seeking new ways to convey the message “use the water you need around the home and garden but please don’t waste it” to customers.

The South East Wales Conjunctive Use System (SEWCUS) area was a company wide area of concentration during this time. The Water Efficiency team decided to use this as an area of focus and set up an allotment group project, in line with ‘National Allotment Week’.

Water Efficiency in Welsh Water and beyond

Institute of Water Lunch and Learn – Debrief Report

Plastic accounts for around 90% of all waste in the ocean with 46,000 pieces of plastic covering every square mile of the ocean floor In the 1950s the world made about 2 million tonnes of plastic a year, now we make 330 million tonnes a year – and it is set to treble again by 2050. The total weight of plastic in our oceans will exceed that of fish by 2050. This is not an issue that can be tackled by conservationists alone.

Although environmentalists have been banging the drum about plastic waste for decades, plastic has been propelled up the agenda since BBC’s Blue Planet was in December 2017. This has inspired huge action to prevent single use plastic. This year, 2018, the Queen banned plastic cutlery in the palace, The BBC announced a single use plastic ban by 2020, there has been a substantial increase in demand for glass milk bottles, PG tips are going plastic free and Scotland is banning straws and plastic stem cotton buds. Announced on World Environment day 2018, the Indian Government made an astonishing commitment to ban all single-use plastics by 2022.

With drought part of Australia’s history and its future, its water utilities are setting the benchmark for water efficiency knowledge and engagement worldwide. This report demonstrates some of the most innovative programs and products from using humour to advocate for change to smart meters and websites that provide leak and water use alerts.