Water scarcity is a global issue, with approximately 2.7 billion people afflicted world wide. With the impacts of climate change and the increasing growth in economic development and populations, the need for freshwater water sources will become ever more pressing. One way of addressing this growing gap of water supply and demand is to turn wastewater, commonly seen as a nuisance, into a resource. 

The SMEP Programme, through our SMEP-funded projects, is piloting a variety of technological solutions to treat wastewater and increase its reuse in various industries – food and beverage, plastics recycling, tanneries, and textiles. This will contribute towards lessening the increasing stress on freshwater resources through both reducing freshwater demand and the pollution of freshwater ecosystems.

Read more about wastewater and the importance of these wastewater technologies, including the technologies piloted by SMEP projects, in the factsheet.