Water is one of this century’s greatest challenges
Floods and droughts, pollution and waterborne diseases all pose a threat to the earth’s water. DI has established a new committee with the aim of putting Denmark in the driver seat when it comes to solving these challenges.
In 2018 the inhabitants of Cape Town, South Africa were running out of water. Today, there are restrictions limiting residents’ water use. In the US, 8 trillion litres of clean water go to waste each year as a result of leakages in water systems. Ten of Asia and Africa’s biggest rivers are responsible for approximately 90 per cent of all plastic in the world’s oceans.
The world has plenty of water problems.
In Denmark, however, we have developed solutions to help combat these problems. Companies such as metering solutions group Kamstrup, valves manufacturer AVK and pump manufacturer Grundfos are busy at work in South Africa.
In the US, Denmark has partnered with the state of California to provide water solutions, with a list of participants that includes consultancies Rambøll and DHI as well as utilities companies Aarhus Vand and HOFOR, among others.
In the plastics industry, Danish company Plastix is one of the few companies in the world that has developed a technology allowing plastic from fishing equipment to be sorted, disassembled, cleaned and reprocessed into new, high-quality plastic.
Denmark is ahead in many areas related to water. But competition is growing, and it’s therefore time to buckle down in order to keep Denmark at the forefront and thereby also help solve the water challenges the world is facing. Senior Vice President Jesper Daugaard from Kamstrup A/S
Danish water exports must reach DKK 40 billion by 2030
Jesper Daugaard is chairman of the newly established committee DI Water. The founding general meeting was held on 18 June, and the committee’s ambitions are unequivocal:
“Danish water solution exports must reach DKK 40 billion by 2030. It’s an ambitious target, but also a realistic one if we take advantage of the close cooperation that exists between the Danish public and private sector in the work to find future solutions,” says Jesper Daugaard.
Today, the sector exports nearly DKK 20 billion worth of goods and services and employs approximately 18,000 employees in about 350 companies. In order to fulfil these ambitions, action is required in several areas, according to the chairman.
“The sector requires better conditions for business. We must foster innovation and development. And we need to continue focusing on developing and investing in cost-effective water solutions, so that we can use Denmark as a showcase and role model for the rest of the world,” says Jesper Daugaard.
DI Water
Established 18 June 2019 as a committee under the Confederation of Danish Industry.
Committee members focus on water technology and support the development of a strong, innovative water technology sector in Denmark. The members of the committee can be divided into four categories:
o Water technology manufacturers
o Consultancies
o Water and wastewater utilities
o Water consuming businesses
Board of DI Water
• Chairman of the Board Senior Vice President Jesper Daugaard, Kamstrup A/S
• Vice-Chairman Business Unit Director Jens Brandt Bering, NIRAS A/S
• Global Brand Manager Michael Ramlau-Hansen, AVK Holding A/S
• Senior Market Director Claus Nickelsen, COWI A/S
• Global Director Mads Warming, Danfoss A/S
• Managing Director Thor Ugelvig Petersen, DHI Danmark A/S
• Group Director Morten Riis, Grundfos Holding A/S
• CEO Niels Møller Jensen, Herning Vand Holding A/S
• Utilities Director Ole Adeler, HOFOR A/S
• Partner Henriette Soja, Horten Advokatpartnerskab
• CEO Hans-Martin Friis Møller, Kalundborg Forsyning
• Managing Director Hanne Christensen, Rambøll Danmark A/S
• Director Kaj Stjernholm, Stjernholm A/S
• Director Jonathan Cope, RGS Nordic A/S
• COO Claus Homann, Aarhus Vand A/S
Info
General information about DI Water and membership: Head of DI Water, Svend-Erik Jepsen, 33773686, sej@di.dk
