Why making your business water resilient makes financial sense

This GreenCape briefing argues that investing in water efficiency and alternative water sources is financially sound for businesses even after droughts end. Using three business models (office, medium manufacturing, and large manufacturing), it demonstrates that solutions like smart metering, retrofitting, and effluent reuse can reduce municipal water reliance by up to 70% and costs by 60%, with most solutions paying back within six years.

• Investing in water efficiency and alternative water sources can significantly lower a business's dependence on municipal water by up to 70% and reduce water-related business costs by 60% in some cases. These investments are considered financially viable regardless of whether water tariffs are strict or relaxed.
• For medium-sized offices, all modelled water solutions—including smart water meters, tap and toilet retrofits, and rainwater harvesting—pay for themselves in under six years. Tap and toilet retrofits offer the fastest payback, ranging from 6 months under Level 6 restrictions to 1 year under Level 1 restrictions.
• In a medium-sized inorganic manufacturing facility, all proposed solutions have a payback period of less than six years. Smart metering provides the strongest business case with a payback period of 6 months under Level 6 restrictions and 1 year under Level 1 restrictions.
• For large organic manufacturing facilities, organic effluent reuse is the most expensive option and has the longest payback period, although it provides the highest potential for water savings. Other options include groundwater production and smart water meters.

APA

Fundikwa, B. (2018). Why making your business water resilient makes financial sense. GreenCape. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/WATER-INTERVENTIONS-INDUSTRY-BRIEF-INTERACTIVE-3.pdf

Chicago

Fundikwa, Bridget. Why making your business water resilient makes financial sense. GreenCape, 2018. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/WATER-INTERVENTIONS-INDUSTRY-BRIEF-INTERACTIVE-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Fundikwa |first1=Bridget |title=Why making your business water resilient makes financial sense |publisher=GreenCape |date=March 2018 |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/WATER-INTERVENTIONS-INDUSTRY-BRIEF-INTERACTIVE-3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fundikwa2018why, author = {Fundikwa, Bridget}, title = {{Why making your business water resilient makes financial sense}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2018}, month = mar, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/WATER-INTERVENTIONS-INDUSTRY-BRIEF-INTERACTIVE-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }