FEATURE SUSTAINABILITY
WHAT ABOUT WATER?
38 JULY 2022
In the fi rst edition of a three-part series on research into water management, Chris
Havers, Programme Director Acclaro Advisory & SFMI focuses on materiality and
customer engagement
Being a responsible business means
accounting for vital resources, but water
has o en struggled to gain traction within many
organisations. In conjunction with Methven UK,
a leading producer of water saving products, the
SFMI (Sustainable Facilities Management Index)
has reviewed historic trending, surveyed FM
teams around the UK and held a focused SFMI
Leaders Forum discussion to understand the
challenges and help FM to engage with customers
to drive perception changes.
A series of three reports have been produced, in
the series we cover:
1) Materiality and customer engagement
2) Reporting and targets
3) Challenges and opportunities for water
management
WE BEGIN BY FOCUSING ON MATERIALITY AND
CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT
Over the past 60 years, water use habits have
changed dramatically, with consumption increasing
from 85l per person per day in 1960 to over 150l
today. With a growing population, and water
leakage rates remaining stubbornly high at over
20 per cent, consumption levels for the UK are
increasing dramatically. Based on 25,000 smart
meters in the London area, around 26 per cent of
the water delivered to non-household properties is
continuous flow (i.e. leaking).
33 per cent of respondents to a survey felt that
water was ‘somewhat or very important’, with 8 per
cent deeming it ‘not important at all’. The general
view was that water is not material, a view reflected
in contracts where water is not managed as a
service. Specific sectors, such as education facilities
and process users, are more engaged due to water
being a high commodity in what they do.
Reducing water for environmental reasons is the
primary motivation for FMs (92 per cent), along
with financial benefits (59 per cent), as well as
reducing spills and leaks (84 per cent). Technology
is increasingly used to identify variances in
consumption, highlighting where leaks may be
occurring. Water hygiene remains a primary focus
related to legionella and compliance.
Measuring consumption
Reducing spillages/leaks
Improving water quality
Reducing water consumption (environmental...
Looking towards climate change implications,
where summer means less rainfall and more
extreme winter weather events, there are regions
in the south and east of England increasingly under
water stress. Managing the risks of water shortages
leading to temporary closure of buildings has
generally not been considered. Low flow systems
can extend the time facilities are operable for.
The drive towards zero carbon is enabling
di erent conversations about water, similarly
to those focussed upon wellbeing. However,
with water costs low, it is rarely a factor that is
incorporated into ESG targets.
HOW MATERIAL IS WATER MANAGEMENT
TO YOUR ORGANISATION AND YOUR
STAKEHOLDERS?
Perception around the opportunities has a large
part to play, with behaviour change di icult and
investment restricted. Methven noted that design
is an influential factor in water reduction, if urinals
are situated before cubicles (in this study the
cubicles were hidden at the back) men are more
likely to use the urinals, and ultimately reduce water
consumption.
In March the UK Government body, DEFRA,
proposed a 20 per cent reduction per person by
2037. To meet this target there are a number of
strands of activity that must be undertaken:
Create awareness of the problem - There is a
common misbelief that there is no shortage of
water
Despite little financial impact – this is not a
problem that will go away without action. Action
(reducing water use) will benefit businesses,
improve carbon footprints and society
Measuring consumption will aid reduction
Changing habits and behaviour
Changing facilities
With this consultation brings an opportunity to
heighten the materiality associated with water
in the future, as only emergency shortages, or
Government intervention to prevent this will
heighten the en-masse change in awareness of the
British public. FMs should be seeking to understand
how the proposals can a ect their customers, and
position themselves to be able to guide them on
action.
Also, understanding how improvements can be
implemented when the time is right is vital. When
water is deemed less material, considering it in
redesign is a valuable key when the opportunity
arises but this requires an understanding of the
behaviours of how we use facilities and when is the
best time to advise upgrades and the introduction
of new technology.
The SFMI and Methven UK are keen to expand its
research and understanding of the water challenge
in FM by expanding our survey. Please take a short
bit of time to be part of our survey:
www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/XP06UC/
https://uk.methven.com/home
https://www.acclaro-advisory.com/sfmi/
Not important at all Somewhat unimportant
Neither Somewhat important
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Reducing water consumption (financial perspective)
Not important at all Somewhat unimportant Neither Somewhat important Upmost importance “26 PER CENT OF
COMMERCIAL WATER
USE IN LONDON IS
FROM WATER LEAKS”
“92 PER CENT OF FMS
SEE ENVIRONMENTAL
REASONS AS A DRIVER
FOR REDUCING WATER
USE. DESIGN PLAYS A
SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN
THE AMOUNT OF WATER
USED IN A WASHROOM”
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