The water challenge
Universal access to drinking water and good management of the water cycle (pumping, purification, treatment and retreatment, storage, supply, etc.) are a – and perhaps the – global issue of this century.
In Europe, the market is generally mature with stable or even slightly reduced water consumption per capita. The 2000 framework directive on water requires a good ecological state of water to be achieved by 2025. This tightening of environmental standards and sanitary concerns in a redeploying sector (increasing influence of operators in emerging nations) raises the question of financial resources and efficient management models for both private and public operators.
Water footprint monitoring is a recent concept that highlights the impact of modes of consumption and production. It requires the identification of common benchmarks for the measurement, assessment and reporting of water use.
Waste
The waste sector has changed radically over the last ten years and poses a major financial and environmental challenge for local authorities. The major value chain operators must now take this issue into account to limit the impact on natural environments.
European regulations are changing. The assessment of the use of resources should involve four complementary criteria: the consumption of material, of course, but also of water and farmland, and greenhouse-gas emissions. A new target recycling rate should also be set for 2030.
Energy transition
Energy transition means a progressive evolution of the current energy system based mainly on non-renewables and the development of the most sustainable new energy solutions. This necessary, ambitious change involves significant opportunities and investments across the entire economy. It especially contributes to the growth of eco-activities that are playing a major role in the development of the environmental sector today: wastewater management, recycling, waste-energy production, site clean-up, the development of wind and solar power, land and water-body rehabilitation, and air pollution and noise reduction.
Climate issues
The major goal of the 21st Conference on Climate (COP21) held in France at the end of 2015 was to reach an international climate agreement to limit global warming to below 2°C until 2100. Civil society and private-sector operators in particular are to play a major role in the years to come by increasing their commitments to fight climate disruption.
Eurogroup Consulting was very keen to play a part in this mobilization and launched its ‘Low-Carbon Citizen’ programme, encompassing a range of initiatives to fight climate change. In this field, Eurogroup Consulting notably signed a partnership agreement with Solutions COP21 (a pioneer project to promote climate solutions related to COP21) and launched a skills sponsorship appeal to support it during the conference.
