50L Home – New global Coalition to address water security and climate change

Geneva 27 October 2020: Launched today, the 50L Home Coalition is a global, action-orientated multi-stakeholder platform that addresses two of our most pressing global challenges: water security and climate change. As a member of the Leadership Group and hosting secretariat, WBCSD is thrilled to announce this unprecedented level of collaboration that aims to make 50 liters (L) of daily water use per person a reality for all.

The water crisis is an increasing global risk with 14 of the world’s 20 megacities experiencing water scarcity or drought conditions. Water, in terms of impact, has been one of the top risks in the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Risks Report over the last nine years. In cities where water runs dry, human health, ecosystem services and business continuity are severely compromised. With an average per capita household use of water as high as 500 liters per day in some parts of the world and an estimated 16% of total energy use in the home attributed to household water use, there is a huge opportunity to drive citizen-led actions that lead to water and energy-efficient cities.

The Coalition, convened by the 2030 Water Resources Group, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the World Economic Forum, will be led by a pioneering leadership group consisting of private sector, public sector and civil society representatives and is open to all stakeholders who are committed to advancing urban water security. Whilst focused on domestic urban water use, the Coalition also aims to influence how society views and values water in the lifestyle choices they make.

The Coalition will collaborate across four key pillars to accelerate progress towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 6 (clean water and sanitation), 12 (responsible consumption and production) and 13 (climate action):

• Innovation: Developing solutions to address water efficiency in homes and within the wider urban water system.
• Education: Reshaping peoples’ relationship with water, helping to inspire daily behavioral lifestyle changes.
• Implementation: Launching pilot projects in water-stressed cities that mobilize local stakeholders and financing.
• Policy and regulation: Advancing policy, regulatory and industry frameworks to transform household water use.

In facilitating collaboration across these four pillars, the Coalition aims to make responsible household water consumption a key aspect of cities’ climate, water security and resiliency strategies.

The coalition is composed by following members :

2030 Water Resources Group, Arcadis, Electrolux, Engie, Kohler, Procter & Gamble, Suez, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), World Bank Group Water, World Economic Forum.

Peter Bakker, President and CEO of WBCSD, said:

COVID-19 has brought to light the importance of water as a front-line public health defense – it’s a valuable resource that we need to protect and use more efficiently. In our homes, we need water to cook, clean, hydrate ourselves and for hygiene purposes. Business is already providing solutions that reduce the need for water used in the home, but, we can do so much more. The water challenge is a nature, climate and people challenge. Through the 50L Home Coalition we want to accelerate and scale the deployment of practical solutions for sustainability that reach the household daily and also trigger systemic change.

Shailesh G. Jejurikar, CEO, Fabric and Home Care, Procter & Gamble and Co-Chair of the Coalition, said:

Our brands reach five billion people around the world, and with this scale comes a responsibility to continue innovating our products to help save energy, water and natural resources. We need unprecedented collaboration between businesses, government and civil society to make 50 liters of daily water use per person a reality.

Annelise Avril, SUEZ Senior VP Innovation, Digital Transformation & Research, said:

Water issues moved from being difficult to solve to being complex. Water, health, food, climate, energy, agriculture issues are all interconnected, and cannot be addressed in silo. No single stakeholder has the whole answer. SUEZ joins the 50L Home Coalition because we are convinced we need to join forces, combine our skills and expertise to come up with adequate solutions.

WBCSD is one of the three secretariat organizations that convenes the Coalition, WBCSD also hosts the secretariat functions including Coalition staff.  WBCSD looks forward to contributing to the success of the coalition by creating a unifying vision around systems-change that appeals to all targeted stakeholders and drives an inclusive innovation agenda.

Reinventing water consumption in the home is not something one company or organization can do alone. The Coalition invites visionary leaders from companies, cities or civil society that are committed to solving the urban water crisis and addressing climate change to join the Coalition. To learn more about the Coalition’s projects, members or upcoming events, visit 50lhome.org or follow https://twitter.com/50LHome.