Water Wise Societies working together for sustainable water

Water Wise Societies is one of the programmes within the Impact Innovation initiative. The programme will bring together stakeholders and create systemic change through various initiatives to achieve the "Sustainable water for all by 2050" mission.

The Sustainable Water for All mission includes transforming society to a future where water is available in quantity and quality and provides suitable conditions for people, the environment, ecosystems, industries and society despite a changing climate.

Formas, Vinnova and the Swedish Energy Agency are the three funding organisations behind the Impact Innovation initiative. It is a long-term effort that builds on the previous Strategic Innovation Programmes. The actors are helping to drive the transition to a sustainable society and to strengthen Sweden's competitiveness.

Four focus areas

The programme pursues its objectives in four areas:

Water-resilient communities: Communities are built and managed harmoniously with water and are resilient to climate change and crises.

Healthy lakes and water bodies: Protected and future-proofed where sources of pollution are identified and minimised.

Access to water: Everyone has access to enough water to ensure thriving ecosystems, safe drinking water, food and energy production, and competitive industries.

Wise use of water: All parts of society consume only the quantity and quality of water they need, and resources from water streams are circulated safely.

Many actors are involved

A large and growing number of stakeholders are participating in the work of Water Wise Societies, which is managed by a project office that includes IVL, RISE, SEI, Svenskt Vatten, Linköping Science Park, and LU.

IVL is also a member of the programme office for the Impact Innovation programme ShiftSweden, which IQ Samhällsbyggnad and VTI lead.

Read more: Impact Innovation – Sweden's innovation investment for the 2030s External link, opens in new window.