Being water conscious has become a key aspect of sustainability in modern business. Since wasting water also means wasting energy, it is a doubly important in terms of corporate responsibility to take action to limit water waste within the workplace [1]. Furthermore, becoming more environmentally conscious and reducing water use demonstrates that your company is well managed and responsible which is likely to appeal to customers, employees, investors, suppliers and even the media. Saving water could thus become a positive corporate policy. Here are several simple things businesses can do to save water:

1. As in households, companies should check their toilets and taps for leaks. A good way to check for leaks is to monitor your water meter at night when there is no water being used. If there is a change in the reading the next morning, you probably have a leak.
2. Protect your pipes against frost to prevent them bursting.
3. Raise awareness of the importance of water saving amongst the staff. Educating the team may change their attitude and behaviour. For example, posters could be put up in bathrooms or kitchens reminding people not to leave the tap on unnecessarily and only to boil as much water as required. Moreover, perhaps targets could be set as to how much money the company saves on water costs and staff could be rewarded if targets are met.
4. Consider collecting rainwater outside the building if possible to be used to water the grounds or other similar activites

A key incentive for businesses to invest in water saving technologies is the Enhanced Capital Allowances scheme. This is a tax break that allows companies to claim 100% cent first-year capital allowances on investments in technologies and products that appear on the Water Technology List and thus meet certain water saving and water quality criteria [1].

[1] www.watersavingweek.org.uk