Secured water supply for Skåne's business community

Extensive agriculture and major food companies make Skåne highly dependent on its water supply. In the light of future climate change, there is also a risk of water shortages and interruptions in the water supply, primarily in the summertime.

– "Some companies have already experienced water outages, and we can expect to see recurring water shortages in the future. Accordingly, we want to encourage all stakeholders in the region to review, optimise and recirculate their water as much as possible – so as to minimise water consumption," says Susann Milenkovski, an environmental strategist at Region Skåne.

Projects raise the issue and speed up the process

As part of an ongoing project, the region wants to highlight the issue and contribute knowledge in order to speed a process in which companies secure their production even in times of water scarcity. The project is being conducted in collaboration with RISE.

– "Right now, we're looking for between five and seven companies that RISE can help to take the next step towards more efficient water use. Depending on the progress the companies have already made in this area, RISE can help with risk analysis, surveys, proposing and implementing measures and cost analysis," Milenkovski continues.

She hopes to see a positive response from different industries so that the results of the project can ultimately comprise a broad knowledge base describing how different types of companies have reduced their water consumption.

– "Such a knowledge base would enable us to raise awareness of the problem and spotlight good examples as well as inspire new innovative solutions in this area," says Milenkovski.

To exemplify such solutions, she mentions the possibility of using desalinated seawater in industrial processes and technologies that enable water to be reused.

– "Skåne's trade and industry will have to adapt to a reality in which water availability varies across the seasons. Anyone who's already experienced water shortages understands the benefits of being proactive. We hope that our project will be an eye-opener and speed development so that all stakeholders in Skåne join our efforts to achieve more efficient and sustainable water use," she says.

The collaboration with RISE has progressed smoothly as the project has evolved.

– "RISE has been particularly flexible. For several different reasons, we've had to change the project focus a couple of times, but this hasn't been a problem. Communication with RISE has worked extremely well, and it's been easy to come up with new ideas together," Milenkovski ends.