Public-private coalition 50 Liter Home announces new phase for initiatives to accelerate water innovation in cities

New York, 23 March 2023: In celebration of World Water Day, the 50 Liter Home Coalition (50L Home), convened by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the World Economic Forum (WEF), announced new efforts to accelerate water innovations in water-stressed cities. Sponsored by private sector leaders, these commitments include funding for a pilot program in Los Angeles, California, to demonstrate water and energy innovations in homes, and collaboration in tactical pilots to drive water conservation and policy updates in Phoenix, Arizona.

“The UN Water Conference is a critical milestone for governments, civil society, and the private sector to shape a cohesive global water agenda. More action is needed to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals, and the work of companies in the 50L Home Coalition to develop the solutions required to rethink water systems, prepare cities for water stress, and build systemic resilience is a leading example of collective action,” said Diane Holdorf, Executive Vice President at WBCSD.

Through 50L Home, Electrolux Group, IKEA, Kohler Co., and Procter & Gamble are joining forces with the U.S. Green Building Council - Los Angeles to implement a demonstration pilot in Los Angeles, California. This unique effort to integrate solutions from different market leaders will demonstrate how existing and new innovations can achieve substantial savings in domestic water and energy consumption. They will work directly to understand water and energy consumption in 30 homes in the greater Los Angeles region, engage tenants, and retrofit 15 of those homes with products and solutions to drive down water use holistically.

“Today, four out of ten IKEA store visitors live in water-scarce regions. And the world’s rapidly growing population is putting even more pressure on this precious resource. Saving water should be part of everyone’s everyday, regardless of their access to it. To make this easier, we design products to help reduce daily water consumption in the home. IKEA has a big opportunity and responsibility to inspire and influence how people are using water in their homes, where 10-12% of the total global freshwater consumption happens. We can’t do it alone; collaboration is key to create change,” said Lena Julle, sustainability manager range, IKEA of Sweden.

“Rising to the challenge of complex issues like water scarcity requires new approaches and innovative collaborations to create change. We are proud to bring a global coalition such as 50L Home to a region with the diversity and scale of Los Angeles to demonstrate how we can approach water differently through holistic retrofits and behavioral change to guide the future of residential water use,” said Ben Stapleton, executive director for the U.S. Green Building Council - Los Angeles.

In Phoenix, Arizona, the City of Phoenix is partnering with 50L Home to develop a program of tactical pilots and multi-stakeholder workshops to test and accelerate innovations to continue reducing water consumption without affecting Phoenicians’ quality of life. These collaborative activities will further strengthen the innovation ecosystems in Phoenix, elevating the city as a living lab for innovations that are scalable to other cities in the region and beyond.

“Phoenix is the fifth largest and fastest growing city in the United States. Located in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, Phoenix prioritizes water conservation in everything we do, by necessity and engrained in our culture. We are proud to collaborate with 50L Home Coalition members to advance the innovations needed to prepare for our future, and to partner with other cities to quickly scale emerging solutions,” said Kate Gallego, Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona.

“We are in the business of improving consumers’ lives and believe that water will be the next frontier when it comes to sustainability efforts. Procter & Gamble is honoured to join forces with other 50L Home members to fund pilots and policy collaborations to develop scalable product innovations that require less water and that help consumers live a more sustainable life,” says Victor Aguilar, chief research, development, and innovation officer at Procter & Gamble.