Xylem, a leading global water technology company, helped its customers re-use more than one trillion gallons (4.3 billion cubic meters) of water in 2020, according to its 2020 Sustainability Report, Solving Water for a Resilient World. The company’s technology also prevented 369 billion gallons (1.4 billion cubic meters) of polluted water from flooding communities and entering local waterways. Water re-use and pollution prevention are two of Xylem’s signature sustainability goals, targeted for achievement by 2025.
Deployment of advanced water technologies is driving the dramatic sustainability gains around the world, and particularly throughout water-scarce nations across the Middle East. In the UAE, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is central to a dynamic shift to digital utility infrastructure that will allow the nation to use 100% of its wastewater. The battle against Non-Revenue Water (NRW) loss has placed a greater importance on the adoption of Xylem smart water networks which are protecting water supplies and contributing towards sustainability, a key pillar of the UAE’s National Agenda 2021.
“Bringing clean water and safe sanitation to more people — while protecting the environment — is both our purpose and our business,” said Patrick Decker, Xylem’s president and CEO. “The achievements detailed in this report show that, together, our colleagues and our customers are making a big difference in our communities. Technology can do a lot to make the world more sustainable and more resilient, but these results come from the commitment, dedication, and even heroism of the people we’re so privileged to work with, every day.It’s within ourpower to solve urgent challenges like water scarcity, now, and create a more water-secure world for future generations.”
In 2020, Xylem made significant progress toward its sector-leading 2025 signature sustainability goals, despite the additional challenges of COVID-19. Through its advanced products and technologies, the Company helped customers reduce their carbon footprint by 0.6 million metric tons of CO2, equivalent to keeping 130,000 passenger cars off the road for a year. Xylem is now running half its major operations on 100% renewable energy, and has committed to transition its global vehicle fleet to electric and hybrid, targeting an initial 45% reduction in fleet CO2 emissions by 2023.
The Company doubledphilanthropic investments and extended new support to employees, business partners and the communities they serve. It also expanded relationships with its global NGO partners, like Americares and UNICEF,supporting 4.1 million people in underserved communities to get access to water and sanitation and providing 3.6 million people with water education to raise awareness and improve their quality of life.
“As a company, we recognize the opportunity we have to lead, given the breadth of our technologies and our global reach,” said Xylem’s Managing Director, Middle East & Turkey, Frank Ackland. “We have to navigate difficult times in ways that make us stronger and more resilient — and support our customers and communities to do the same. To help mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 while continuing to deliver on our sustainability commitments, we focused our efforts on accelerating the digital change in the utility industry so that future disruptions would have less of an impact. By ensuring the safety of our water networks now, future communities in the region will be better protected from potential crises.
“If anything, the pandemic has made the economic and social value of water networks and other critical infrastructure more apparent than ever, particularly in the MENA region which includes 17 countries below the water poverty line set by the United Nations,” continued Ackland. “We know they are essential in times of crisis. They’re also a potential driver of economic recovery, and a pre-requisite for broader prosperity. The shocks of the last year have heightened everyone’s awareness of the need for greater resilience, and the imperative of a sustainable future.”
Among the actions and achievements from 2020 detailed in the GRI-compliant report, additional highlights include: raising $1 billion in a green bond offering – the first of its kind for a US industrial company; reducing company water use by 30% versus 2014 – nearly 10% in 2020, alone; reducing total company net greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 2% versus 2019; and committing to a sustainable fleet strategy to transition the global vehicle fleet to electric and hybrid.
To learn more about Xylem’s sustainability progress, download Solving Water for a Resilient World.