Business Stream pledges 20% usage cut and leads new retailers' efficiency group

Business Stream has pledged to help its customers reduce their water consumption by 20%.

The retailer plans to work with its customers, in particular those that haven’t adopted water efficiency measures to date, to identify and deliver the right water efficiency solutions for their needs. It will support this activity with a marketing campaign to raise awareness of the importance of water efficiency and help promote the steps customers can take to make a real difference to the amount they use.

This ambitious pledge is the latest in a line of water efficiency initiatives from Business Stream. It already boasts having supported customers to deliver savings of 38 billion litres of water, resulting in almost £75 million in financial savings and over 66,000 tonnes in carbon savings. Earlier this year it became the first retailer to agree a partnership with Waterwise to help promote the importance of water efficiency and conservation to business customers across the UK.

Last week, Business Stream chief executive Jo Dow and Waterwise managing director Nicci Russell announced they are co-chairing a new group to to support and encourage water retailers to aim higher on water efficiency in the second year of the market. The Waterwise Retailers Leadership Group for Water Efficiency will build on best practice to date and broker discussions with other key players such as wholesalers, regulators, government and manufacturers on opportunities and barriers.

Dow said: "As an industry we can achieve much more by working together to promote the importance of water efficiency and delivering environmental and financial benefits for our customers. The leadership group will provide the ideal platform for retailers to share ideas and best practice.”

Russell said: "It’s important that water retailers offer their customers an opportunity to save water, energy and money through water efficiency services. This will also help ensure the resilience of water supply as a whole - crucial for business, society and the environment as we face more frequent and more intense droughts. We’re really looking forward to achieving this, working with the water retailers."