The climate crisis is fought in every decision, even the one we make when we open a bottle of wine. water or when using the faucet. The need to reduce emissions greenhouse gases is leading the water sector, one of the most essential and cross-cutting sectors, to a profound transformation.
Today, thanks to clean technologies and innovations in sustainabilitywater can also be a tool in the fight against climate change. climate changeBBVA highlights in its sustainability blog.
From air to bottle
An emblematic case is that of the Swiss company Climeworkswhich utilizes direct air capture (DAC) technology to extract carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere. This CO₂instead of being stored or discarded, it has been reused to create the bubbles in Valser mineral water, bottled by Coca-Cola Hellenic.
This is the first time that CO₂ captured from the air has been used to carbonate beverages, a pioneering solution that breaks new ground for the food industry and its climate impact.
Drinking water treatment with clean energy and without leaks
In addition to bottling, the distribution of the drinking water is also reinventing itself. Although this process generates fewer emissions than other sectors, its impact can be significantly reduced if action is taken on three key fronts:
- The use of renewable energies
- Energy efficiency
- Improving distribution networks to avoid leaks
Veoliathrough its service +Positive, advises companies and municipalities on the decarbonization of the urban water cycle. The strategy ranges from the selection of sustainable suppliers to the implementation of reagents with low environmental impact. The goal is that every liter of water treated or distributed leaves the smallest possible footprint.
Treatment plants that clean and generate energy
Another key front is the wastewater treatment. There, innovation is aimed not only at reducing emissions, but also at making the plants self-sustainable and even generating energy.
At United Kingdomthe company Severn Trent builds a plant in Staffordshire capable of capturing 34,000 tons of carbon per year. It achieves this by combining clean technologies and the production of biogas and biomethane from sludge, in an exemplary model of circular economy.
In the private sector, companies such as Cabreiroá, Lanjarón y Aquaservice have taken important steps towards the carbon neutrality. From the use of recycled plastics to the calculation and offsetting of emissions through reforestation projects in Galicia, Brazil and Peru, these brands demonstrate that it is possible to produce and distribute bottled water without sacrificing the balance of the planet.
Aquaservice, for example, was the first company in the sector to be awarded the Carbon Neutral certified by AENORemissions, after offsetting 100% of its emissions through forest conservation initiatives.
Water that regenerates, not only moisturizes
Climate urgency demands that each industry rethink its processes, and the water is no exception. New technologies, investment in efficiency and environmental awareness are making possible what seemed unthinkable a few years ago: not only pure, but also emission-free.
In the struggle the planet is facing against climate changethe cycle of the water in a process low carbon can make a difference.
Source: BBVA Sustainability
