The water for resilient landscapes group was active 2015-2017. It examined how hydrology affects the productivity of landscapes, and thereby support livelihoods and biodiversity, as well as climate change adaptation and mitigation. The group also explored what hydrological aspects need to be considered when restoring landscapes for sustainable production.

It resulted in recommendations for important governance factors to consider, such as:

• Improved integration of water considerations and understanding of hydrological processes in landscape
• Continuous support to the development of new integrated knowledge of evidence-based management and strengthening of capacity.
• Strengthened multi-level governance arrangements that allow for genuine stakeholder participation in landscape management and decision making.
• Identification and use of best management practices and innovative tools that provide practical on-the ground solutions for sustainable management and monitoring of water in the landscape.
• Adequate and long-term financing from both the public and private sectors to sustain ecosystem services that are important for the productivity and sustainability of landscapes.

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The Water and Forest group started with a mission to highlight the importance of forests and sustainable forest management to securing water resources globally. It was active between 2023-2015. A core group from SIWI Swedish Water House, the Swedish Forest Agency, SLU Global, SSC Forestry, Sveaskog, Focali and Stora Enso concluded, with input from more that 100 persons from 40+ institutions in seminars and workshops, that establishing resilient, productive landscapes is the most promising way forward to meet the sustainable development goals 1 on Poverty reduction, 6 on Water, 13 on Climate and 15 on Land.

The findings were summarised in the report ”Water, forests, people – building resilient landscapes”.

The project Locally Controlled Forest Restoration (LoCoFoRest) was established in 2020 as an outcome of this multi-stakeholder group.

The finance sector can play a crucial role pushing for improved water management, not least through what economic activities they choose to invest in.

The MSG on Water and Finance was active 2019-2021, with the aim to raise awareness of water risks in investments and ensure that the financial sector has the available tools to analyse and cross-examine water-risks in connection to ESG opportunities.

The group developed the report “Accounting for water in active ownership“, that includes a 3-step methodology to identify water-risks and prioritize investments, as well as key recommendations for financial institutions.

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Faith-based organizations often have a strong spiritual relationship with water that can inspire both important conversations and behavioural change.

The Water and Faith MSG was active 2018-2020 and attracted great attention from Sida, UNEP and the World Bank as an innovative way to address social norms and values. The unique collaboration has been hailed as a new way to encourage behavioural change and has resulted in the international web-based course People and Planet.    

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The Water and Textiles MSG was active 2010-2013 to encourage resource efficiency in the fashion textile industry. Over a two-year period, Swedish brands developed a methodology for the Sweden Textile Water Initiative, later known as Sustainable Textile Water Initiative (STWI). The aim was to reduce the negative impacts of emissions from energy, chemicals, greenhouse gases and water.

STWI led to impressive gains. Between 2015 and 2017, 80 million kWh of energy was saved and 11 million m3 of water, which equals the daily need for 220 million people. Furthermore, the project is expected to have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 460,000 tons. STWI is currently inactive.

The Water and Food MSG worked with the food and beverage companies and retailers, and was active 2014-2017 and 2018-2019. In 2017, five field visits were undertaken, including to India and Peru, together with business representatives from ICA, Axfood, Hermansson & Co, Santa Maria, and Systembolaget.  The results from Peru are presented in the report ”To the Last Drop“, produced by Swedwatch and Diakonia, with support from SIWI (also available in Spanish). The report calls for Swedish companies to take more responsibility for the water impact of their production.

The group members developed an interactive tool where companies could get support in their water work by searching and comparing the main reporting tools, certifications, guidelines and risk assessment tools from a water perspective.

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In 2014-2016 Swedish Water House facilitated an MSG on Water and Pharmaceuticals in response to new research about pharmaceutical production’s impact on water resources. The groundbreaking work led to the project Reducing Emissions from Antibiotic Production (REAP, active 2016-2020). REAP aimed to assess the baseline of antibiotics manufacturing companies in terms of their efforts to reduce active pharmaceutical ingredients in their effluent streams.

As a continuation of REAP, the Responsible Antibiotics Manufacturing Platform (RAMP) was a collaboration platform in partnership with different stakeholders to co-create the sustainability case for human health, environment, and business.

The outcome is a framework that offers criteria for different options and compliance levels as an interface between the demand and supply side.

• Climate, Water and Vulnerability
• Conflict and Water Group
• Large-Scale Water Infrastructure
• Swedish Network for the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture (CAWMA)
• The Resilience and Freshwater Initiative
• The Swedish Environmental Flows Initiative
• Transboundary Water Management
• Water and Anti-corruption Network
• Water and Corporate Responsibility
• Water and Disaster Risk Reduction
• Water and Energy
• Water and Rights
• Water and Sanitation in Peri-urban Areas
• Water and Wastewater