Organisations join forces to drive sustainable action

A VITAL new initiative is providing businesses with the expertise and tools to identify water savings across their sites, helping to achieve financial and environmental efficiencies whilst also tackling the UK’s water demand challenges.

With the UK Government anticipating that demand for water will outstrip supply in some regions by 2050, Business Stream and sustainability experts, 20FIFTY Partners, have developed a 12-week certified water stewardship programme to help businesses reduce usage and the environmental footprint associated with water treatment.

The initial programme, which is currently running, is being supported by Yorkshire Water and funded through the Strategic Panel’s Market Improvement Fund, which supports innovative projects designed to deliver market improvements for business customers.

Stephen Sheridan, Head of Account Management at Business Stream, said: “Our water stewardship programme, supported by 20FIFTY Partners, has been developed to provide businesses with a clear framework to understand their water usage across their estate and identify and deliver savings. By adopting better water management practices, organisations can reduce risks, support their sustainability goals, and achieve long-term operational and financial benefits.”

The programme includes five online group sessions, self-paced learning, and 121 mentoring support, with participants committing a total of 10–15 hours over a 12-week period. During the course, participants learn technical skills in water mapping, conservation, and action planning, with a focus on creating site-specific strategies for continuous improvement. On completion, all participating businesses receive a certification and a verifiable digital badge to demonstrate their commitment to taking steps to adopt responsible business practices.

CEO of 20FIFTY Partners, Ken Stockil, said: “As well as providing well needed training, this is a platform for businesses to share knowledge, develop meaningful strategies, and achieve tangible improvements in water management. We’ve successfully been delivering this programme in Ireland for several years to over 600 large water users and we’re delighted to now be working with Business Stream and Yorkshire Water to support UK-based businesses to achieve water efficiencies across their estates.”

A number of multi-site businesses are participating in the programme, including leading convenience food producer, Greencore. Commenting, Liz Payne, Head of Environment at Greencore, said: “As a company that is committed to operating sustainably and on delivering on the objectives set out in our Better Future Plan Water roadmap, we’re delighted to be participating in the Water Stewardship programme. In addition to this programme, we took part in the initial pilot for one of our sites and it’s been brilliant to see the impact it’s had in increasing our awareness and approach around water management, helping us to identify savings and support our wider environmental goals”.

Businesses involved in the pilot water stewardship programme, which was run by Business Stream and 20FIFTY Partners in 2023, have reported significant benefits, including improved water efficiency and stronger internal engagement on sustainability goals.

If you’re a business and would like to find out more about the water stewardship programme and how you can get involved in future cohorts, please contact solutions@business-stream.co.uk

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