Revolutionising Water Efficiency in Non-Household Customers: The ISO 46001 Implementation Framework

30 Sep 25

The ISO 46001 Implementation Framework project has now formally closed at the end of Phase 1. This initial stage was funded through the Market Improvement Fund and aimed to investigate the potential of ISO 46001 to support water efficiency in the non-household (NHH) water market. ISO 46001 sets a framework for water efficiency management systems, requiring leadership commitment, monitoring, and continual improvement to optimise water use, cut waste, and integrate efficiency into organisational strategy .

The project identified that no businesses in England were using this standard and shifted the focus to ISO 14001 which is is an international standard for environmental management systems, guiding organisations to manage environmental risks including how to evaluate water use, pollution, and supply constraints

The research provided valuable insight into the barriers and opportunities surrounding water efficiency management systems. It highlighted that while ISO 14001 is widely adopted in the UK, it does not explicitly require water efficiency, meaning that water often falls behind more financially material issues such as energy. Interviews and case studies also showed that only a small number of large organisations were willing to engage, and awareness of ISO 46001 itself remains very low.

The project delivered important findings: it confirmed that structured water efficiency management can support better data collection, awareness, and performance tracking; and it recommended simplified tools, such as a business case calculator, checklists, and guidance materials, to help businesses, particularly SMEs, take practical steps. However, the Panel determined that further development of a new toolkit would duplicate similar resources already available through other Market Improvement Fund projects and Waterwise, and that customer appetite to engage with such a framework was limited.

On this basis, the Panel resolved not to proceed with Phases 2 and 3. The project is therefore complete at Phase 1, with its insights continuing to inform the industry’s wider strategy on water efficiency.

12 Aug 25

The project has explored the adoption of the ISO standard for maintaining a water efficiency management system (WEMS) as defined by ISO46001. The intent was to produce a Phase 1 report on ISO46001 and its potential impact in a UK setting. No customers with this standard could be found and the project changed its focus to a similar standard, ISO14001. Only four customers who subscribed to this standard engaged with the project which concluded at the end of phase 1 that while water efficiency management systems (WEMS) can improve data collection and awareness, “water efficiency projects are not typically good value for money and tend to have long pay back periods when compared to energy". The project proposed that it  develops  a practical, accessible toolbox to guide SMEs and less water-intensive businesses in improving internal water governance.

The toolkit could contain:

a.  An excel or web-based tool for estimating  water usage, calculating direct savings from efficiency or leak reduction, by benchmarking against typical usage.

b.  A downloadable guide with step-by-step instructions for assessing water use, best practice tips, sector-specific advice.

c.  A self-assessment checklist to map where water is used, detect inefficiencies or leaks, and prioritise high-impact actions.

d.  A one-page poster – for staff awareness and engagement,

MOSL is assessing the practicality of the tool kit proposal against existing toolkits including the WaterWise Toolkit https://waterwise.org.uk/project/evaluation-toolkit/, 

The MIF Round 2 Discovery Benchmarking tool https://mosl.co.uk/services/market-improvement/market-improvement-fund/project-updates/project-disco... 

And the MIF Round 4 Customer Portal Save Money Save Water project https://mosl.co.uk/services/market-improvement/market-improvement-fund/project-updates/nhh-water-eff...

March 2025

In addition to the 120 companies approached for interviews regarding 46001, four customers have been approached for their experiences of 14001, with interviews either completed or scheduled for April 2025.

February 2025

The project will change its scope and will reach out to companies who have implemented ISO 14001, to understand how they have made reductions to water consumption using this environmental management system. From the data, we will be able to infer what impact there could have been had there been ISO 46001. By moving the focus to ISO14001 the project will gain an understanding of practicalities and any barriers to implementing a water efficiency management system. Both ISO 46001 and ISO 14001 follow the same structure, with ISO 46001 focusing on water and ISO 14001 focusing on environmental impacts (water being one of many).

Understanding how companies have used ISO 14001 to realise reductions or efficiency in water consumption will inform phases 2 and 3 as the project will glean very similar information in terms of challenges and difficulties these teams faced in gaining traction within the business to make efficiencies around water. Building on this will enable the project to bring back the information and analyse against what impact ISO 46001 would have had if implemented alongside or instead of ISO 14001.

January 2025

In the original project plan, Phase 1 involved contacting and interviewing companies that have implemented ISO 46001, to understand their behavioural and cultural changes within their organisations to achieve their water usage reductions. Despite reaching out to over 30 companies, the applicant did not receive any responses to their requests for interviews or participation. This lack of engagement has made it difficult to gather the necessary insights and data to proceed as initially planned. A change of scope has been proposed.

September 2024

Project has begun.