National Water Week 2026 Water Stewardship: A Shared Responsibility Across the Built Environment.
The built environment is a major consumer of freshwater resources, through all stages of the lifecycle, in addition to the water consumed by people in their homes and communities. By 2050, we will experience the largest wave of urban growth in human history, emphasizing that the actions of the building sector will be critical to mitigating the impact of the global water crisis (WGBC, 2023). Across Sub-Saharan Africa, increasing water stress is shaping how we design, manufacture, and build.
The World Green Building Council recognizes the supply chain as a key lever for lowering the industry’s freshwater withdrawals by reducing the water consumed during manufacturing. As manufacturers of construction solutions, we have an important role to play in embracing water stewardship, raising awareness, and sharing our progress as an invitation for stakeholders to join us on the journey.
Did You Know?
· Nearly 4 billion people are currently affected by water scarcity, and that number is expected to rise, with buildings and construction being a major contributor to this pressure (WGBC, 2023)
· It is estimated that the built environment will be responsible for up to 15% of freshwater withdrawal by 2030 (WGBC, 2023).
· Africa, our home, faces growing water stress due to climate variability and population growth.
Our Ongoing Approach
Aligned with the World Green Building Council (WGBC), we know water resilience goes beyond efficiency; it requires understanding local risk and lifecycle impact. As part of our commitment to Make it in Africa to Build Africa (MABA), we’re invested in preserving water resources for future generations by understanding our footprint, reducing this footprint, and ensuring transparency along the way.
Our Water Stewardship in Action:
1. The first step in the right direction:
We have implemented step 0 action plans across the region. This step involves placing meters across sites to thoroughly track our water usage. This step is designed to ensure metering accuracy, understand our flow of water, and detect leaks to prevent unnecessary water withdrawals and reduce our water footprint. By taking the first step, the Isover plant in Springs was able to detect leaks and reduce water withdrawals by up to 65%.
2. Innovation:
Subsequent to understanding the flow of water at our plants, we look at how we can innovate to reduce our overall consumption of water. Some of our key initiatives include:
· Gyproc Dryer Heat Exchange Condensate Recovery system in Brakpan: By capturing moisture from the plasterboard drying process, the plant has significantly reduced freshwater withdrawal.
· RhinoROC Fibre Cement Plant has incorporated an innovative closed water loop system to ensure zero process effluent is released from production.
3. Supporting our customers:
By obtaining third-party verified EPDs and producing technical data sheets, we ensure our customers have all the necessary information to choose more sustainably.
As manufacturers, we have a role to play in understanding our water use, implementing initiatives to reduce our consumption, and being transparent along the journey. We recognise that water resilience cannot be achieved in isolation, and we invite our ecosystem of stakeholders to join us on the journey, one drop at a time.
For more information on moving the construction industry towards a water-resilient future, visit the World Green Building Council Water Guide