Alejandro Sturniolo highlighted the urgency of adopting a “Water Positive” model at Future4 Water.

The director of IDRA and member of the Water Positive Think Tank addressed the challenges, opportunities, and necessary approaches to advancing towards a sustainable water management model based on the “Water Positive” concept in a keynote conference.

Future4 Water, the benchmark event by RETEMA dedicated to the sustainable management of water resources, brought together key representatives from the water sector in Madrid on November 21. The carefully curated program featured panel discussions, exclusive dialogues, and keynote speeches.

One of the most notable presentations was given by Alejandro Sturniolo, a member of Water Positive Think Tank and director of  International Desalination and Reuse Association (IDRA), with his talk titled “Industry as a Lever for the SDGs.” Sturniolo addressed the need to move towards a sustainable water management model based on the Water Positive concept, which proposes returning more water to the environment than is used. This approach is emerging as a key solution to the increasing pressure on water resources in a world that cannot “create” water but must ensure access to it for a growing population.

The expert emphasized that sustainability will only be viable if it is also economically profitable. He stressed the urgency of reassessing the cost and value of water, highlighting how key sectors for Spain, such as agriculture and tourism, indirectly export water through products and services, further straining regions already affected by scarcity. He also underscored the importance of measuring and managing water footprints at both local and global levels.

Sturniolo criticized the traditional sustainability approach, which focuses solely on reducing carbon emissions, and urged a shift toward prioritizing water management due to its inherent complexity—quantity, quality, and location. Being Water Positive, he explained, is not just about complying with regulations or building infrastructure; it requires intentionality, additionality, and permanence to create a lasting positive impact.

Additionally, he advocated for desalination as one of the most sustainable and efficient technologies, debunking the myth of its high cost. He compared its energy efficiency with other technologies and highlighted Spain’s global leadership in this field. According to Sturniolo, desalination should be seen as a strategic tool for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) rather than merely from a cost perspective.

“We are projecting a world with 10 billion people by 2050, with ambitious goals for 2030, but without generating new water. These predictions will be unsustainable if we do not act now.”

Furthermore, he emphasized the need to integrate water into all SDGs, arguing that it is impossible to achieve SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation) without considering its impact on the economy, agriculture, energy, and climate change.

To meet water sustainability goals, he stressed the importance of fostering collaboration, innovation, and the development of dedicated water markets, similar to carbon emissions markets.

In his conclusion, Sturniolo shared a revealing fact: being Water Positive is 60 times more profitable than being Carbon Negative. This example, he stated, should encourage more companies and governments to prioritize water management in their sustainability strategies.