Extreme weather events coupled with restrictive regulations are putting pressure on access to and use of water, making this resource a strategic issue for many companies. From awareness to the deployment of sustainable and financially viable solutions, Ecolab supports them across their water value chain.

Some sectors are known to consume more water, in the manufacture of their products or in their industrial processes, such as agri-food, pharmaceuticals or chemicals. "However, ensuring access to this crucial resource is a challenge for a company when it consumes more than 10,000 m3 per year. That's relatively little," warns Jérôme Sellier, Sales Director France and Benelux at Nalco Water, the Ecolab group's division specializing in water solutions and services. Manufacturers therefore have a common need - to reduce their water consumption to comply with new regulatory obligations and ensure their supply in times of restriction - but this does not call for a single response. "Each organisation has specific problems, which we respond to through our three levers of action: reduce, reuse, recycle. But the most important thing is to take a gradual approach. » 

An optimization model

Contrary to popular belief, reducing your company's water consumption can be a simple and inexpensive process. Thus, an essential first step is to conduct an audit and identify the sources of waste and leaks. Connected meters map water use on a site and provide detailed knowledge of flows. The Ecolab 3D data analytics platform detects anomalies and then conducts targeted interventions. This method of operation makes it possible to contain costs while achieving water savings of around 15% to 20%. "We need to look beyond one-off intervention, by implementing a policy of reducing consumption at all stages of production. Digital tools, such as our Water Flow Intelligence, make it possible to optimise monitoring and actions, by identifying each source of water use as well as the consumption patterns that accompany it. Sometimes, something as simple as changing the flushing or opening time of a valve brings important results," says Jérôme Sellier.

Inventing new schemes

While clean water is currently cheap in France, its cost is expected to increase as access to this resource becomes more complex. This is a development that companies that consume a lot of energy must anticipate, by questioning the opportunity to reuse dirty water, on site, in production processes. The relaxation of regulations in this area opens up great opportunities for certain sectors, which would allow France to catch up in terms of water reuse. Here even more, Ecolab advocates an individualized and progressive approach while raising awareness of the various subsidies offered by water agencies "which are there to help organizations accelerate on these issues, we must go and find the available aid," says Jérôme Sellier. To lead this larger-scale transformation, he also insists on the importance of human support because a collective change in behavior is just as essential. "We need to repeat the messages by clearly explaining the issues so that each operator, at its own level, adopts the right reflexes on a daily basis." Ecolab's workforce supports companies in the field, with technical support, training, and 24/7/365 with remote control of operations through digitalization. This makes it possible to detect drifts as early as possible and to implement corrective or preventive actions.

Exponential return on investment

In the age of measurement and reporting, Ecolab evaluates both the financial benefits of the proposed solutions and their environmental and operational impact.  This approach allows Ecolab to help companies prioritize their investments by implementing specific actions that combine sustainability and profitability: "Withdrawing less not only saves on water bills but also reduces the volume of waste to be treated, which is why the gradual approach is paramount." Especially since the results are there: Ecolab can draw on a global experience that has already enabled its customers to preserve 836 billion liters of water worldwide in 2023, or the drinking water needs of 782 million people.