Growing water demand, increasing scarcity and degradation of water quality means that its use and management have become central to the global focus on sustainability.
The UN has further highlighted the necessity of water management to achieve sustainability targets, by making it the focus of Goal 6 of their Sustainable Development Goals.
It is recognized that when managed efficiently and fairly, water can play a key enabling role in improving the resilience of social, economic and environmental systems in the light of rapid and unpredictable changes.
Every organization has a part to play in making their water use more sustainable. Here are three ways your business can manage its water use more efficiently:
To improve water management at local, regional and global levels, businesses first need a better understanding of related impacts, as well as internationally consistent assessment techniques, to identify their water footprint and report results.
BS EN ISO 14046 Environmental management – Water footprint – Principles, requirements and guidelines allows all kinds of organizations, from industry, to government and NGOs the means to measure their ‘water footprint’, or their potential environmental impact of water use and pollution.
This standard specifies principles, requirements and guidelines related to the water footprint assessment of products, processes and organizations, based on life-cycle assessment. It can be used to conduct and report a water footprint assessment.
Developed by experts from all over the world, the standard is based on a life-cycle assessment and can assist in:
Assessing the magnitude of potential environmental impacts related to water
Identifying ways to reduce those impacts
Facilitating water efficiency and optimization of water management at product, process and organizational levels
Providing scientifically consistent and reliable information for reporting water footprint results that can be tracked over time
BS EN ISO 14046 is expected to benefit organizations, governments and interested parties worldwide by providing transparency, consistency and credibility to the task of assessing water footprint and reporting the water footprint results of products, processes or organizations.
Businesses can also adopt standard BS EN ISO 46001 Water efficiency management systems – Requirements with guidance for use, which aims to help organizations of all sizes and status be more water-efficient.
New technology means businesses can not only treat human waste in a clean and environmentally friendly way but turn it into useful resources such as clean drinking water.
ISO 31800 Faecal sludge treatment units – Energy independent, prefabricated, community-scale, resource recovery units – Safety and performance requirements, specifies requirements and test methods to ensure the performance and safety of units that can serve up to a hundred thousand people. It will help to promote trust amongst industry players and grow the market for this technology, ultimately improving the livelihoods and health of many.
We also have standards – such as BS ISO 24518 – to help communities manage their drinking water and wastewater services in the event of a crisis of water utilities.
To read more about the key standards for water quality, click here.
Increasing populations mean even more water is used to irrigate crops.
Reusing wastewater is a key method of easing the pressure on limited water supplies and improving an organization’s water footprint. It can also provide a lifeline for agricultural communities where water is scarce.
Treated wastewater can be used for land reclamation, improving agricultural growth and reducing fertilization costs. An environmentally productive use of treated wastewater can also prevent ecological damage to water sources.
The four-part series BS EN ISO 16075 Guidelines for treated wastewater use for irrigation projects, is a key tool for organizations in the agriculture industry. It contains guidelines for the development and execution of treated wastewater projects, including design, materials, construction, and performance, and covers a wide range of issues such as water quality, types of crops that can be irrigated, associated risks, and main components (e.g. pipeline networks and reservoirs).
Want to access and manage the standards you need to support your management of water - all in one place? With a BSI Knowledge subscription, you will have the flexibility and visibility to manage the key standards you need in order to work with confidence and optimize your supply chain. Build your own custom collection of standards, or opt for access to our GBM06 Environmental, Wastes module and keep up-to-date with any relevant changes to your standards strategy. Request to learn more.
Ensure your organization is managing its water use as sustainably as possible, by adding these key standards to your collection today.