Wednesday the 20th of November marked the launch of the first ever Large-Water User Community of Practice event for Water Stewardship UK. This is part of a pioneering initiative funded by the Market Improvement Fund, facilitated by MOSL on behalf of the Strategic Panel, the most senior industry group for the non-household water market. The project has the aim of Identifying Opportunities to Strengthen Engagement with Non-Household Businesses, through the implementation of water stewardship practices. As an applied research programme, it will help participants to understand and reduce their water use, which will help reduce financial cost relating to water and energy. It will also help businesses to help address and mitigate shared water challenges. 

As water demand continues to grow, the UK is already facing water scarcity issues, which will start to impact businesses’ operations and supply chains. Coupled with this reality, is the growing pressure on businesses to respond to the climate emergency and demonstrate the action they’re taking to reduce their environmental impact.   

The applied research project is a collaboration between Business Stream, Yorkshire Water, 20FIFTY Partners and Water Stewardship UK to support participants in implementing water stewardship plans for their business. By participating in the programme, businesses can help identify ways to achieve financial and environmental savings within their own organisations, as well as contribute to the wider agenda around tackling one of the key environmental challenges we face today. 

The Community of Practice event at the University of Leeds is a milestone gathering to help shape the future of Water Stewardship in the UK, with insights from industry leaders and a first look at 2025 water stewardship planning.  We had participation from businesses across the UK including Morrisons, Greencore, Britvic, Marshalls, Leeds Bradford Airport, Mid Yorks Trust, the University of Leeds and Sheffield University.  Sharing their journey of water stewardship were the ABP Food Group, part of a 450-member strong Water Stewardship Community of Practice in Ireland. 

The establishment of a large water-user Community of Practice (typically companies with a water demand of around 20Km3/annum) supports peer-to-peer collaboration among members to help develop comprehensive water management programmes. By working together, in partnership with retailers, businesses will be able to share ideas and solutions around demand reduction, better stakeholder engagement and water efficiency.   

To help achieve the goals of the CoP, members will be invited to join regular webinars, informal meetings and knowledge transfer events.  The benefits of cross-sectoral engagement in addressing shared-water challenges will be demonstrated by bringing all the ideas together to develop an effective roadmap for better water stewardship across the UK. 

Stay informed about the latest developments by following our Water Stewardship UK LinkedIn page here.