40-strong stakeholder group in bid to cut water use with long-term campaign launch

The long-awaited Love Water campaign launched last week – the first time a large group of partners have come together to try to influence domestic and commercial water users’ behaviour and raise awareness of the link between the water we use at home/work and the environment.

More than 40 organisations are involved, including most water companies, regulators, green groups, universities, the National Farmers Union and one early adopter business – Sainsbury’s. The long-term campaign is led by bodies including the Environment Agency, Water UK, Ofwat, NFU and Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. It supports the ambition of "clean and plentiful water" as set out in the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan and focuses on three key themes:

· encouraging people to use water wisely. This chimes with DEFRA’s plan to set a personal consumption target;

· helping people to understand how they can reduce pollution in their local environment; and

· encouraging people to get out and enjoy their local water environment.

Love Water will feature events and initiatives, such as beach and river cleans-ups and water saving projects, designed to engage the public and encourage them to enjoy water and the environment. The campaign is also inviting businesses to get involved by supporting the campaign through promotional activity while pledging to do their bit to save water and protect the environment by reducing pollution and waste. Its ambition is that businesses will make water-saving and pollution reduction part of their operational and corporate responsibility targets.