WASSER FÜR WASSER (WfW) | PROJECTS SWITZERLAND

CURRENT SITUATION

Tap water in Switzerland meets the highest standards of hygiene, taste and safety. This is due to strict guidelines for water protection and the everyday work of more than 2,500 water suppliers.

Water as a resource also brings inequalities to light. Increasing production of food and consumer goods, global trade, climate change and urbanisation compromise the availability and quality of water. For hundreds of millions of people, daily access to water is an existential challenge.

After centuries of development, Switzerland has the privilege of an excellent water supply. Meanwhile, access to water is an existential challenge for hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

WATER PROTECTION

A key reason for the excellent quality of Swiss tap water is improved national water protection, which developed in the 20th century. Due to the country's location in the Alps and the high proportion of spring water, only little chemical treatment is necessary: 60% of drinking water is provided without any or with only preventive treatment.

ewl Luzern / Franca Pedrazzetti

PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY

More than 2,500 water suppliers provide the Swiss population with water. There is no market for water: suppliers must ensure the quality of their services on behalf of the public sector. In addition, suppliers may not set water prices to generate profits, but are obliged to cover their costs.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change is affecting Switzerland's water supply. It is estimated that by 2050 Alpine glaciers will have melted to a large extent. Rainy and dry seasons will be more unbalanced and extreme. This leads to water scarcity and distribution difficulties, especially in smaller communities and in the Alpine region.

GLOBAL SITUATION

Today, two thirds of the world's population suffer from severe water scarcity for at least one month of the year. This affects around 500 million people every day – tendency rising. Global demand for water is expected to exceed supply by 40% within the next 15 years.

ACTIVITIES

We create ecological value in Switzerland and enable social compensation for people without access to clean water.

202008 Le Piaf KKL Luzern GREEN Di Minico Loris 05 Kopie

SUSTAINABLE WATER CONSUMPTION

DAY-TO-DAY DONATIONS

AWARENESS RAISING

CONCEPTS

Together with around 600 partners, WfW raises awareness of water issues and integrates donations into everyday life. WfW partners from the gastronomy sector give value to our high-quality tap water or even do without branded water altogether with the WfW GREEN approach. The WfW OFFICE partner companies drink tap water in their everyday business and communicate the advantages of their actions to customers and employees. In this way, not only are unnecessary transports and waste of bottled water reduced in cooperation with WfW, but WfW partners also increase the social perception of tap water. With WfW AQUADEMIA, WfW promotes the development of competences and the empowerment of high school students to ensure the long-term protection of water. In addition, WfW raises awareness among broad sections of society through other projects, such as lucernewater.ch or NORDPOL.