The book is intended to provide a more complete understanding of the social and environmental eco-system that affects and is affected by industrial water use, encourage collaboration among the stakeholders in this ecosystem to promote more sustainable use, and identify concrete actions (e.g., increased incentives for sustainable use and penalties for unsustainable use) that can be collaboratively pursued for the benefit of long-term economic well-being, communities, and the environment. The book will feature the voices of individuals in different industrial sectors, as well as those affecting and affected by industrial water use.
In addition to relating the practical experiences of the various authors and their ‘lessons learned’, the book will include a discussion of currently available water management and planning tools in order to encourage additional research and greater collaboration between potential partners. Since water use by industry includes the water used to produce raw materials (e.g. cotton in the case of textiles) and use of the product by the consumer, it will also include a discussion of how relationships between companies, their suppliers and their customers can be designed to improve industrial water use.
