British Standards Institution promotes a water positive future

National standards body, the British Standards Institution (BSI) has issued six recommendations to promote sustainable water use, following a partnership with Waterwise to obtain and collate credible, referenced and traceable data, covering the UK, US, Japan, China, Australia, France and Germany on water trends.

The report, Thirst for change: securing a water positive future, recommended:

• recognising water wastage as a serious challenge, and tackling leakage and usage;

• ensuring it is easy to choose water saving products, including through water labelling;

• enabling intelligent activities through smart water data;

• encouraging a water saving culture across society;

• closing the loop by applying a circular economy mindset and embracing reuse; and

• collaboration is king – challenges can best be addressed through collaboration.

Among the key findings of the research were: water provision and use now contribute around 10% to global carbon emissions; annual water use has risen by around 3,500bn m3 globally over the last century; and using water wisely is critical to support economic development and social need and can bring important benefits, including enabling equitable global access, protecting precious habitats, and increasing resilience to climate change and to drought.

BSI offers a range of guides, certifications, training and standards to support responsible water services.