The worldwide water sector is at a critical point where delivering the transition needed to protect this essential resource and guarantee universal access has become imperative. Aware of this mammoth task, Saur is undergoing a metamorphosis since it announced in 2022 its ambition to become the champion of the water transition by 2030. In this transformational process, internationalization is a fundamental pillar that will impulse the France-based firm’s business model and strategy worldwide. Nader Antar, President of the company’s International Division, is leading this area since 2022 with an ambitious goal of contributing almost 50% of Saur's revenue by 2025. The protagonist of SWMB17, Antar explains in an exclusive interview how Saur is becoming a future-ready water company that will support all its stakeholders to achieve their own water transition.
The wastewater treatment sector is also undergoing a crucial transition in which wastewater treatment plants are becoming facilities for resources and energy production. In tackling climate change, there is also growing scrutiny of the role of sewage treatment plants as important sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the water industry is faced with the complex task of reducing these emissions. In this issue, SWMB17, Smart Water Magazine spoke with many experts in this field to determine the latest trends, technologies and practices taking place in wastewater treatment plants around the world, from leading specialists in Denmark, like Morten Rebsdorf at Aarhus Vand, to the United Kingdom with Stephen Riches from Anglian Water, and Vanessa Núñez-López at the Department of Energy of the United States.
The traditional concept of water and wastewater treatment plants is now becoming obsolete and a real desire for change can be felt throughout the sector. Wastewater treatment plants need to move towards a circular economy by focusing on the reuse of resources and energy. This would allow to undertake water security risks such as environmental pollution, growing urbanization, and climate change challenges including prolonged drought and more intense precipitation. As Saur pointed out when it revealed its ambition to become the champion of the water transition by 2030 last year, taking action today is mandatory if the industry is to succeed in protecting and conserving water resources.
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