Developing Water-Smart Industrial Clusters

Supported by Evides Industriewater and Arup, this webinar will explore the priorities for

developing water-smart industrial clusters.

As industrial clusters evolve – spanning established sectors such as chemicals, steel and

refining, alongside hydrogen, SAF, data centres and other emerging low-carbon industries –

pressure on water supply and wastewater systems is growing. Yet water is still too often

addressed on a project-by-project basis, rather than through the kind of strategic,

coordinated planning needed to support long-term industrial development.

This session will examine how a more joined-up approach to water management can help

clusters move beyond fragmented provision and toward collective, long-term strategies that

support both existing industry and new investment. It will consider the role of shared

infrastructure, water reuse, and cross-sector planning, and how water can be better

integrated with wider decisions on energy, land, transport and industrial development.

Bringing together industry, planners, regulators and infrastructure stakeholders, the webinar

will explore what is needed to create water-smart industrial clusters that are not only more

efficient and resilient, but better equipped to attract investment and enable future growth.

This session will address:

• How can industrial clusters develop resilient, water-smart strategies that support

long-term growth and decarbonisation?

• Why is the current project-by-project approach to industrial water provision no longer

sufficient?

• What role does water availability play in shaping investment decisions, future

expansion and the attractiveness of industrial clusters?

• How can shared infrastructure, water reuse and better cross-sector planning unlock

new opportunities across multiple industrial users?

• What role should regulators, planners and public authorities play in enabling a more

strategic approach?

• What policy, planning and investment frameworks are needed to support water-smart

industrial development?