The “Water for the world” social responsibility programme has now reached around 260,000 people around the world, according to chemicals manufacturer Borealis (Vienna / Austria; www.borealisgroup.com) and its Middle East and Asia JV partner Borouge (Abu Dhabi / United Arab Emirates; www.borouge.com), who launched the programme three years ago at “K 2007”.

The companies say that significant project milestones have been achieved in four principal areas: supporting water access projects, developing and promoting best practices, raising awareness in communities and advancing sustainable water management. Providing water access has been one of the key focus areas of the programme, as more than one-third of the world’s population is currently lacking access to safe drinking water or sanitation. Borealis and Borouge developed a number of projects in close partnership with local plastic pipe industries and local and international non-governmental organisations to support water access projects. For example, in Nepal, Borouge partnered with the local Sushma Koirala Memorial Trust to provide the continuous supply of piped fresh water to a school and 2,000 residents in a district of the historic town of Bakhtapur. And, in Sichuan / China, which was struck by an earthquake in May 2008, Borouge joined NGO Lien Aid and the Singapore Water Association to help alleviate the water problem for the 10,000 inhabitants of Shengli, a village and resettlement camp near Beichuan County. Borouge supplied the polyethylene material to its customer, Szechuan Chinaust, who produced the pipes and delivered them to the village, 300km away, and supported them with the installation.

Spreading best practices in water supply and conservation to the utility and agricultural communities across the world is a challenging target. In 2007, Borouge initiated the Gulf Plastics Pipe Academy (GPPA), a pioneering organisation with the mission of raising standards as well as providing knowledge and expertise along the entire water value chain. The GPPA has attracted over sixty members and has already been influential in raising quality standards and improving installation and maintenance techniques in the region. To raise awareness and encourage a more efficient use of precious water resources, Borealis has initiated the “Water for the world” photo exhibition which took its origin from the book “Troubled waters” by Belgian photographer Dieter Telemans. Since its launch in November 2008, the exhibition has already visited all Borealis locations in the world and triggered a number of water-related activities together with local communities and schools.

Sustainable water management is a global challenge and many international stakeholders and organisations including ISO are now developing tools and standards to assist industry achieving this target. Working within the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Borealis and Borouge have played a significant role in the development of these tools and standards. Borealis chief executive Mark Garrett said: “Water for the World is part of our long-term commitment to sustainability and to addressing the global water challenge. We have already achieved some significant milestones but the global water crisis remains an imminent challenge for humankind to whom we will continue to contribute with our expertise, our partnerships and our innovative solutions to make a difference.”