Industry Weaving the Future of Water Background of the 100-trillion-yen Growth of the Global Water Business Market (December 2008)

Industry Weaving the Future of Water Background of the 100-trillion-yen Growth of the Global Water Business Market (December 2008)
The water business market is expected to grow to 100 trillion yen by 2025 against a backdrop of increasing global demand for water and aging infrastructure. At the same time, climate change was exacerbating water risks such as droughts and floods, making the development of water treatment technologies and supply networks an urgent necessity. These combined factors boosted the importance of the water industry, including advanced technologies such as desalination, advanced water purification, and recycled water use, and provided a tailwind for new investment worldwide. Japanese companies demonstrated their unique technological advantages in this area, including advanced membrane treatment technology, energy-saving desalination processes, and quality control of recycled water, and established a presence alongside European companies such as Veolia and Suez. In Japan, as water pipes and purification facilities continue to age and the financial burden on local governments increases
, the concept of "smart waterworks," which combines a public-private partnership waterworks management model and digitalization, has begun to spread. These initiatives have spawned new industrial forms that include not only the provision of facilities but also long-term operation and management services and data utilization, and have promoted the restructuring of water infrastructure that is closely linked to local communities and urban lifestyles. The water business is growing as a field where resource security, environmental measures, and economic strategies intersect, and is becoming a fundamental industry that supports the sustainability of nations and regions.