Ecolab Inc., a provider of water, hygiene and energy technologies and services, today launched the Ecolab Smart Water Navigator, a free online tool to help businesses throughout the world improve water management at their facilities in the face of growing global water scarcity.

According to U.N. projections, the world will experience a 40 percent water shortfall by 2030 unless action is taken to reduce global water use. Industry accounts for 20 percent of all freshwater use globally and more than 40 percent in developed countries, and use is trending upwards in developing nations as they industrialize.

“Every business and every community needs water,” said Ecolab Chairman and CEO Douglas M. Baker, Jr. “There’s so much companies can do right now, with available technology, to help ensure that everyone will have the water they need in the future. That’s why we developed this tool -- to help turn good intentions into action.”   

More and more companies have water reduction targets, but they often lack the tools and expertise to achieve them. The Smart Water Navigator, developed in collaboration with Trucost, part of S&P Global, and an advisory panel of major private sector companies, helps bridge this gap.

Based on a straightforward, 13-question assessment informed by leading water stewardship experts, the Smart Water Navigator shows companies how their individual facilities are performing compared to industry-leading water management practices. The tool places each facility on a Water Maturity Curve, and generates an industry- and location-specific guide with practical action steps to help a company build sustainable, “water-smart” practices and achieve the next level on the Water Maturity Curve.

Using a corporate dashboard, companies can sort their facilities by geography, water-stress level and water management performance, enabling them to prioritize specific sites for investment in water-saving solutions. A benchmarking function also allows companies to assess how they are scoring on the Water Maturity Curve compared to others in the same industry.

Water is local, and because every location and every watershed is different, corporate water use must be tackled at the individual facility level. But that’s where transformational action is lacking, said Emilio Tenuta, Ecolab vice president of Corporate Sustainability.

“Ambitious goals are set at the corporate level, but very often, facility managers don’t have the tools, resources and incentives to meet expectations. Since 2011, overall corporate water use has only fallen by 10 percent,” said Tenuta. “The Smart Water Navigator will help companies achieve more substantial water savings.”

The Smart Water Navigator can be used by companies in all sectors of the economy, whether they manage one facility or hundreds. It can be found at www.smartwaternavigator.com.

The tool builds on Ecolab’s deep expertise in water management and complements the Water Risk Monetizer, a tool Ecolab launched in 2014 to help companies understand the real value of water – which is often significantly higher than the water bill – to their business.  

In 2017, Ecolab helped its customer worldwide save 171 billion gallons of water, equivalent to the annual drinking water needs of 590 million people. Ecolab is set to publish its water savings numbers for 2018 on World Water Day, March 22.