Published on 17 August 2024

Water and the economy - an intertwined and multifaceted challenge

The competition over water increases steadily, in particular due to demographic growth, changes in water consumption and the role of virtual water for many industries. Adding on the additional challenge of climate change with its weather extremes on the rise, a large spectrum of water related phenomena manifests. Ranging from too much to too little water, the relationship between water and economy is getting more and more complex and fragile. The RésEAU supports the exploration of new avenues such as water effectiveness or the WEFE (water, energy, food, ecosystem) nexus.

SDC’s long-term commitment in supporting the concept of water footprint, at implementation level and conceptually, has led to many successful projects and also to the publication of the ISO Norm 14046 on the water footprint. SDC promotes a three-step corporate water management process that encourages companies to:

  • review their own water use (in which the water footprint concept is very beneficial)
  • reduce their own water use
  • reinvest in water-related projects

Therefore, SDC is also engaged in developing new financial mechanisms to leverage private sector funding such as through Water Benefit Certificates. Furthermore, SDC supports the concept of payments and investments in watershed services (Payment for Environmental Services, PES) to secure water resources by investing in natural infrastructure for water services.

Key Documents

Past Events

Webinar: Unpacking the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans - Focus on Circular Economy

Find the related materials here.

Webinar : Circular economy principles to tackle challenges in the water sector (October 2021)

The objective of this webinar was to present scientific expertise and practical experience on how a circular economy perspective can open up opportunities in the water sector. Circular Economy approach is not only crucial for sustainable management of water resources, but also presents real potential for medium and long-term economic, social and governance advantages. There are however significant challenges in the Global South relating to existing infrastructure that need to be taken into account.