Richard Branson: For entrepreneurs, the challenge is clear

By Richard Branson When you can stroll over to a tap whenever you like and help yourself to a glass of clear, cool water, it is hard to believe that one of the biggest business opportunities of the 21st century—and one of the best opportunities for business to give back to society—lies in supplying fresh water.

But global demand for water has grown sixfold over the past century. If this trend continues, our current resources and infrastructure will not be sufficient to supply enough water to meet demand. While the global water industry is diversified and, in terms of committed capital, ranks on par with the oil, gas and electricity industries, it’s attracted little private investment. It’s time for entrepreneurs and business leaders to get involved, because finding creative solutions to these challenges will require not just great political leadership and innovative research, but a transformation of business itself.

The perception of plenty is an illusion: most of the Earth’s fresh water is frozen in the polar icecaps, trapped in the soil or in deep, inaccessible underground lakes; only 1% of all fresh water is available for people to drink and use. For the most part, the water sources we rely on—lakes, rivers, reservoirs and underground—are renewed by rain and snow-fall. Our use should be sustainable in theory, but in some cases, we have already crossed the line and are depleting these sources. The United Nations estimates that by 2050 more than 60% of the world’s population will lack fresh water for drinking and cooking.

If you’re an entrepreneur hoping to make a difference in your community or society, consider this sector. With so many people in need, and different challenges facing every region, there are limitless possibilities for innovation: new and better means of supply, delivery, recycling and treatment. And water touches on every aspect of life, from how we brew our tea to how companies manufacture goods.

Entrants to the market can take the long view when planning their strategy—we can be confident that there will be demand for new, efficient water-delivery products for a long time to come. Current estimates have the sector worth about $450 billion in revenue per year. With China and India growing fast, worldwide water expenditure is likely to rise over the next 25 years to about $1 trillion per year, according to our in-house analysis at Virgin.

One of the challenges is finding a pay model that allows a company to deliver water at minimal cost or free. Fortunately, there is a long history of public-private partnerships in this sector. Consider the model set up by Vestergaard Frandsen, the Swiss manufacturer of LifeStraw, an innovative filter that makes even the filthiest water drinkable. In collaboration with the Kenyan government, VF is providing four million people with free water filters large enough for entire families to use. The company is also replacing the filters free of charge when they wear out—about every three years. Since the LifeStraw recipients would ordinarily boil their water, causing pollution and releasing carbon into the atmosphere, VF is receiving carbon credits, which it then sells to polluters.

At Virgin, we’ve dipped a toe in the water (excuse the pun) through our Green Fund, by backing Seven Seas Water, a desalination business that designs, constructs, installs and operates water plants across the Caribbean and the Americas. Our goal is to produce a low-cost, safe and reliable water supply. And desalination is just one niche of the water industry—but like others, it offers limitless opportunities for innovation, since many current technologies are outdated and inefficient. Not long ago, the energy costs of producing fresh water from salt water outweighed the benefits. While technological advances have changed this, desalination companies are still competing to develop more economical, energy-saving processes.

This drive for efficiency is important in every industry. If our companies are going to continue to expand and thrive, we must also learn to live within our planet’s means. Look at every process in your business and ask: How can we conserve, reuse and recycle? You’ll not only reduce your carbon and water footprints, but you’ll probably save money. And change on this scale requires all of us to get involved.