The private sector and the water environment

At the recent European River Symposium in March 2016, we brought together representatives from across Europe to explore the potential for the private sector to play a role in improving the water environment through Water Stewardship. There were representatives from every part of Europe as well as the private, third and public sector.

The workshop sought feedback on the support WaterLIFE can offer to facilitate the understanding and implementation of two approaches across Europe:

  • The Water Stewardship approach, which encourages the private sector to engage in sustainable water management through collective action and by influencing governance.
  • The Catchment Based Approach, which brings together stakeholders from different sectors at the catchment level to collaborate to improve water environment.

After thoughtful discussion, some key themes emerged:

  • A need for more guidance
  • Targeted dissemination
  • The importance of governance
  • Measuring and demonstrating impact
  • Awareness of water risks

For more details about the session and key outcomes, please download the workshop report below.

Vienna workshop report

Vienna presentation

 

Workshop discussion
Workshop discussion