Global Coalition Unites to Tackle the Urban Water Crisis and Address Climate Change Through Public-Private Collaboration

Launched today, the 50L Home Coalition (Coalition) is a global action-oriented platform addressing two of the world’s most pressing challenges: water security and climate change. This global collaboration aims to re-invent the future of water and change the narrative on domestic water consumption by making a water-efficient lifestyle – 50 Liters (L) of daily water use per person – an irresistible aspiration for all.

The world is in the midst of an urban water crisis, and the pressures on our limited resources are only accelerating. Seventy percent of the world’s 20 megacities are already experiencing water scarcity or drought conditions, disrupting business, threatening health and exacerbating inequalities. The average home in the developed world is highly inefficient, and average per capita household water use is as high as 500L per day. Because an estimated 16% of total energy use in the home is related to water, this disproportionate domestic water consumption is also contributing to climate change.

The Coalition will advance policies, technologies and cross-industry collaboration to drive responsible water consumption in residential households and commercial buildings as a strategic lever to transform urban water management. Convened by the 2030 Water Resources Group (2030 WRG), World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and World Economic Forum, the Coalition is led by a pioneering leadership group of private sector, public sector and civil society representatives, including Arcadis, Electrolux, Engie, Kohler, Procter & Gamble and Suez. Under the direction of the Board, Braulio Eduardo Morera will lead the 50L Home Coalition as director, starting December 15.

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 people’s 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.

“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,” said Shailesh G. Jejurikar, Chief Executive Officer, Fabric and Home Care, Procter & Gamble and Co-Chair of the Coalition. “We need unprecedented collaboration between businesses, government and civil society to make 50 liters of daily water use per person a reality.”

“Through the 50L Home Coalition, we will leverage our global presence, our water chemistry expertise and our innovation in water and energy-efficient products to accelerate positive change,” said Virginie Helias, Chief Sustainability Officer, Procter & Gamble. “We need to partner with the entire water value chain through public and private collaboration, and we need cities and citizens to engage. Together, we can bring to life this ambitious and inspiring vision, re-imagining how people live in their homes so that we can collectively protect our common Home.”

“The 50L Home Coalition is a terrific way to engage and educate consumers to be better water stewards in their home and for the planet,” said David Kohler, President and CEO of Kohler Co. “This opportunity pushes us even further to innovate and deliver the next generation of water-efficient products and solutions that offer transformative value to our customers and partners. We’re excited to contribute and be in the company of several other forward-thinking organizations poised to create positive change.”

“There is still time to stop our cities from running out of water, but we must act together to do so,” said Peter Oosterveer, Global Chief Executive, Arcadis. “If we can reduce each person’s water use to around 50 liters per day, we can help preserve this resource for future generations and make a positive contribution to the fight against climate change. This is why Arcadis has joined the 50L Coalition and why we’re taking action to help ensure everyone has access to clean water.”

"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,” said Annelise Avril, SUEZ Senior VP Innovation, Digital Transformation & Research. “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."

“2030 WRG brings a multi-stakeholder model of collaboration that drives change through collective action on the ground,” said Karin Krchnak, 2030 WRG Program Manager. “We are excited to join the 50L Home Coalition to transform how water is used and valued by all, particularly at the urban level, as cities face increasing risks of water insecurity, shared by governments, the private sector and civil society.”

“The pandemic of 2020 has brought to light the importance of water as a front-line public health defence. In the home, we need water to cook, clean, hydrate and for hygiene,” said Peter Bakker, President and CEO, World Business Council for Sustainable Development. “Business is already providing solutions that reduce and remove the need for water used in the home. But we can do so much more. Through the 50L Home Coalition, we want to accelerate and scale the deployment of practical solutions for sustainability that reach the household and trigger systemic change.”

“As cities worldwide face increasing pressure to meet the needs for competing water resource demands, re-inventing our urban water systems to be more resilient and resource-efficient becomes critically important,” said Dominic Waughray, Managing Director, World Economic Forum. “Achieving systemic change can best be achieved through multi-stakeholder coalitions and fostering cooperation and innovation across a diverse group of leaders – the 50L Home Coalition is an exciting global action platform that will turn this vision into reality.”

“The 50L Home Coalition offers an opportunity to accelerate innovations to enable communities’ appropriate and responsible use of water resources,” said Braulio Eduardo Morera, Director, 50L Home Coalition. “I am excited about the prospect of leveraging the capabilities of the private sector, public sector and civil society. Together we will build strong collaborations with policymakers, national and local leaders and innovators to help cities adapt to climate change and avoid acute water crises.”

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.

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Rachel Stand
Hill + Knowlton Strategies
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