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Water is fast becoming a precious commodity. If you haven’t already heard of the ‘Jaws of Death’, you will certainly do so over the next few years. In a nutshell, if you plot water supply and water demand as lines on a graph, you will see that demand is rising at the same time as supply is falling. It’s predicted that, with a rising population and worsening of the climate, these lines could intersect in around 20 years.
It is therefore vital that everyone takes steps to save water. The good news for companies is that, given most business premises are metered, saving water will also save money, which is a massive incentive for you to begin the process as soon as possible. With regular readings, you’ll also be able to see how effective any water- saving measures have been, giving you the opportunity to work out the return on your investment.
- Communication
- Lead by example
- Hire staff with the right attitude
To help you encourage your employees to take positive steps to save water, we’ve put together some of our top tips:
Communication
The first thing to do is make sure your employees know you’re taking steps to save water at work. Send them emails and create infographics telling them about all the ways they can help. For example, if everyone turned the taps off during the 20 seconds it takes to wash their hands to help avoid the spread of Covid-19, they will collectively save a huge amount of water. On average, a running tap wastes approximately six litres a minute – therefore, every time someone washes their hands, they’ll be wasting two litres. Multiply that by the number of your employees and then by the average number of times each one will wash their hands during the day, and you’ll be surprised how much unused water and wasted money is going down the drain.
Lead by example
If staff members don’t see their company making efforts to save water, they will be less incentivised to do so themselves. So implement as many water-saving initiatives as possible. These could include:
- Installing a water meter
- Installing water-saving taps
- Installing water-saving devices such as ‘Hippos’ in your toilet cisterns which could save three litres per flush
- Installing urinal flush controls – you could save up to 60% on the water used in urinals
- Carrying out regular checks and maintenance to prevent and repair leaks
- Using eco-settings on dishwashers and washing machines
For more information about water efficiency, download our free Water Efficiency Guide.
Hire staff with the right attitude
Saving water in order to save money also has a knock-on effect on sustainability, which means that, by accident or design, your company will also gain eco-friendly credentials. A survey carried out for Barclays Bank discovered that 70% of workers think it’s important that their company is a ‘green business’ – by not taking even small steps to be more environmentally friendly, such as by saving water, you could be discouraging talented people from applying for vacancies. And these are the very people who will be the most likely to not only help your company save water, but also encourage other staff members to do the same.
