Roadmap to 20% Reduction in Industrial Drinking Water Use

Not purely a technical challenge

The roadmap (in Dutch) makes clear that the most frequently mentioned bottlenecks are not primarily technical, but rather legal, financial, or organizational in nature. These concern the preconditions needed to make technological solutions truly applicable. Examples include permit conditions for brine discharges, or how water quality requirements in the food industry are safeguarded. Industrial water users acknowledge the importance of efficient water use, but still feel insufficient urgency to invest in measures. Moreover, the availability of freshwater varies by region, requiring a differentiated approach involving multiple stakeholders.

The industrial water transition therefore requires not only technical solutions, but also knowledge development on multiple fronts. The “Roadmap for Knowledge Challenges in the Industrial Water Transition” identifies five central knowledge challenges: 

• Increasing water awareness and insight into the industry’s potential for savings 

• Ensuring industrial water use is represented in the Delta Programme and in freshwater regions 

• Strengthening the link between water-using industries and water technology suppliers, so that available solutions are actually implemented 

• Investigating and elaborating ways to overcome legal, financial, and societal barriers 

• Consolidating the knowledge needed for decision-making and for addressing practical questions that arise when implementing concrete measures for sustainable industrial water use.

Base for collaboration

From various perspectives, knowledge and innovation programmes are working on the knowledge challenges for the industrial water transition, including through public-private partnerships within TKI Water Technology. The Ministry of IenW, in consultation with societal organisations, has expressed the ambition to achieve a 20% reduction in drinking water consumption in industry. The roadmap consolidates the knowledge questions and innovations needed for this, addresses opportunities for acceleration, and thus forms the basis for collaboration between industry and water technology companies to take action. 

Contribution of KWR

Researchers from KWR contributed to the development of the roadmap through interviews and the provision of expertise. KWR is one of the participants in TKI Water Technology and contributes to the industrial water transition through the design and execution of public-private collaboration projects.