Sustainable Industrial Water Use: Perspectives, Incentives, and Tools

Unique among books on the topic, this new anthology brings together the voices of the executives, plant managers, investors, inventors, regulators, policymakers and advocates leading industry to sustainable water use.  In their own words they tell how they redesign facilities to operate in water-short areas, change the rules to encourage responsible water use, and bridge the gap between companies and communities. They also report on the risks facing industry, and the tools they use to measure, treat, and reuse water more sustainably.

The forty articles in this volume are organized into three sections. In “Perspectives,” industrialists and the consultants who advise them are joined by academics, environmental and social organizations, and indigenous people whose communities are impacted by industry. In “Incentives and Barriers,” authors explore what motivates industry to use water sustainably, and what barriers stand in their way. “Tools” reports on strategies to evaluate water use and prioritize improvements, and new technology that turns industrial wastewater into a resource.

Although the subject is complicated, the authors provide useful guidance about real-world challenges in plain terms understandable to everyone. Their descriptions of the challenges they confront are intended to serve as the opening session of a “global town hall” among the many stakeholders who must work together to achieve sustainable industrial water use.