Water Efficiency and IT Hardware

When we think about the environmental impact of technology, many things come to mind: the challenges of electronic waste management, the dwindling supply of materials that are required to manufacture equipment and even the CO2 emissions associated with powering data centres.

Multiple frameworks, including CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), require organisations that operate within the EU to stay “afloat” when it comes to reporting their water usage and contamination risks. Understanding what is expected, both now and for the future of any business, is an important step towards a more sustainable IT industry.

As an example of water reporting, the CSRD presents the ESRS (European Sustainability Reporting Standards). Within these standards, E3 lays out the expectations on the corporate reporting of water related impacts, risks and opportunities.

This means that organisations will need to consider the financial and environmental implications of their water use, as well as understanding their overall water consumption, to stay ahead of the game.

What is Blue and Grey Water?

Water consumption can be broken down into blue and grey. Blue water is the water that we drink, that exists in natural wetlands and that we use in irrigation for agriculture. Grey water on the other hand, is water that has been used by humans (in anything from cleaning to cooling) and requires processing and/or decontamination to allow it to be used again.

When looking at water efficiency projects the basic premise remains the same: to reduce the amount of blue water used and reduce the amount of grey water created.

How is Techbuyer Engaging with this?

Head of Sustainability, AI and Automation (soon), Astrid Wynne, spoke at the Waterwise Conference on the 12th of March 2025. The event saw a variety of professionals sharing their expertise on everything from promoting the water saving culture to the applications of rainwater harvesting.

With a data centre using between 11 and 19 million litres of water per day – roughly the same as a town of 30,000 – 50,000 people, water efficiency is especially important in the technology industry. But it’s not all heading downstream: as thirsty as the data centres that power AI are, we are also finding uses for it in reducing water loss including leak detection by using AI to detect corrosion in pipes.

There are also smaller measures organisations can take to increase their water efficiency, many with very little cost and a quick return on investment. As an IEMA training centre Techbuyer gives employees the tools to plan and implement sustainability projects. Some of these projects, lead by our Facilities Manager and IEMA practitioner Alan Fisher, have seen us install aerator and automatic taps as well as lower impact toilets to reduce water waste and increase efficiency.

The Challenges of Reporting Water Usage

Whilst collecting blue water consumption through invoices from utility providers is fairly straightforward, trying to articulate your full water footprint can be more challenging. For example, how can you work out the water usage of your energy suppliers without having the full energy mix available? With nuclear, wind and fossil fuels each having massively differing water consumption and contamination, this information is as important as it is difficult to get hold of.

Reporting frameworks, such as the aforementioned CSRD also require a greater understanding of how an organisation’s water use can have wider effects on biodiversity and the environment. Target setting and reporting on this can be a monumental task that is best tackled collaboratively, something that Techbuyer has engaged with in recent hack days.

A Rising Tide

With the ever-widening scope of companies required to report on both their water consumption as well as measures to reduce it, the question arises – if you aren’t looking at your water footprint now, will your organisation sink or swim?