Water for industry

Natural environments and human activities, including industry, have developed in a context of climatic stability and, in the case of France, an abundance of good-quality water resources. However, this favorable situation is being challenged by the overexploitation and degradation of water resources, and by disruptions to the water cycle (soil sealing and compaction, draining of wetlands, deforestation, river straightening, climate change, etc.).

This article looks at the consequences of this new situation for industry, and presents strategies for improving the economic, industrial and environmental performance of its water uses.

After presenting the uses and management of water in industry, the article describes the drivers and impacts of the water transition (why act?), as well as the methods and solutions of the water efficiency strategy (how to act?).

Finally, the article stresses the need for a global, systemic and integrated approach, and the central role of information management (data production, management and exploitation) facilitated by the new possibilities offered by innovations in this sector (Cloud, IoT, real-time data analysis...).

The organization of this strategy is based on the Water Efficiency Management System (WEMS), based on the ISO 46001 standard, published in 2019.

The aim is to radically transform the organization of water management, moving towards a rationalization of demand to match the new local hydrological reality, and advanced performance analysis, as has already been the case for energy, for example.