Waterwise turns 20

Water efficiency champion Waterwise marked two decades of impact at the end of September when it celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Opening proceedings, chair Diane McCrea said the water crisis would be “humanity’s next big challenge”. Four short films, screened at the British Film Institute on London’s South Bank, laid bare the point, focusing on water impacts, governance and action at home and overseas.

Chief executive Nicci Russell said she was enormously proud of Waterwise’s achievements, which included multiple firsts: linking water efficiency to energy efficiency; identifying capex bias as a barrier to water efficiency; bringing behaviours as well as water saving devices into scope; and importing Water Night from Australia.

Other achievements over the years include influencing all administrations “at the highest political levels” and being involved in/chairing many influential groups such as the Water Saving Group that came up with water stress designations, the Environment Act 2021 Expert Group, and the Senior Water Demand Reduction Steering Group.

More widely, Waterwise has successfully campaigned on mandatory water labelling and smart metering; developed two national Water Efficiency Strategies; launched a water literacy programme; championed equity, diversity and inclusion; and pioneered the four-day week in the sector.

“We’ve brought water efficiency into the mainstream,” Russell said, noting that when the organisation started in Water UK’s basement, only a few water companies had any water efficiency activities. “We are the experts,” she concluded, noting that with climate emergency impacts, it was “no longer business as usual” for anyone.