Marking The State of Water Stewardship in an AI Driven Era

The world is experiencing increased demands on energy and water use, primarily driven by transformative technologies such as AI as well as extreme weather events and an evolving economy.

  • Szacuje się, że do 2030 r. wzrost związany ze sztuczną inteligencją będzie wymagał dodatkowej energii odpowiadającej rocznemu zapotrzebowaniu Indii1 i takiej samej ilości wody, aby zaspokoić roczne zapotrzebowanie na wodę pitną Stanów Zjednoczonych2.
  • Data centers could use more than 1 trillion gallons of fresh water annually by 20273.
  • There is a projected 56% gap between freshwater supply and demand by 20304 and the demand for water is projected to increase by up to 30% by 20505.

As a global sustainability leader, Ecolab is helping solve these water challenges. Our 2025 study provides insights into the latest water perceptions and concerns, guiding businesses, governments and nonprofits to develop effective water strategies. Understanding public perception is essential to help inform these strategies and advance towards a water-secure future.


Key Findings From The 2025 Ecolab Watermark Study

Water: The Hidden Cost and Opportunity of AI

While many consumers recognize AI's substantial power consumption, fewer are aware of its significant water footprint. This awareness gap is particularly notable in Asia Pacific, IMEA, and Latin America.


Consumers’ perceptions of the extent to which each resource is currently used to support AI operations:

Map of China Mainland

Chiny

81% Power
77% Water

Map of IMEA

IMEA (Indie, Bliski Wschód i Afryka)

78% Power
61% Wody

Map of LA

Ameryka Łacińska

68% Power
51% Wody

Map of AP

Azja i Pacyfik

60% Power
43% Wody

Map of EU

Europa

59% Power
46% Wody

Map of US

Stany Zjednoczone

55% Power
46% Wody

While adults largely support businesses leveraging AI for sustainable resource management, they express lower trust in businesses to manage AI’s own power and water consumption without regulatory oversight.

Data illustrates agreement percentages:

Businesses should leverage AI
for responsible natural resource use

Trust in businesses to manage the power demands of AI operations responsibly


Map of IMEA

IMEA (Indie, Bliski Wschód i Afryka)
2026

76%
63%

Map of China Mainland

Chiny
2026

72%
77%

Map of LA

Ameryka Łacińska

70%
49%

Map of EU

Europa
2026

54%
37%

Map of AP

Azja i Pacyfik

51%
37%

Map of US

Stany Zjednoczone

49%
39%

Illustration of water on a white background

Smart Water Management: Consumers Want Businesses to Reuse Water Smartly

Despite a widespread consumer belief that businesses should prioritize smart water management to address water scarcity, fewer people feel these companies are successfully putting water reuse solutions into practice.


Percent of consumers who believe businesses are reducing, reusing, recycling, restoring and recovering water throughout their daily operations.

Map of US

Stany Zjednoczone

43%

Map of EU

Europa

44%

Map of LA

Ameryka Łacińska

48%

Map of AP

Azja i Pacyfik

48%

Map of IMEA

IMEA (Indie, Bliski Wschód i Afryka)

67%

Map of China Mainland

Chiny

74%

A widespread consensus exists among consumers globally:
Businesses must prioritize investments in technologies and infrastructure to bolster water resource resilience.


Percentage of consumers who believe businesses should invest in technologies oraz infrastructure
to protect water resources from climate change:

Map of LA

Ameryka Łacińska

84%
85%

Map of IMEA

IMEA (Indie, Bliski Wschód i Afryka)
2026

82%
82%

Map of China Mainland

Chiny
2026

77%
76%

Map of EU

Europa
2026

72%
71%

Map of AP

Azja i Pacyfik

71%
70%

Map of US

Stany Zjednoczone

68%
67%

Businesses demonstrating responsible water practices can expect strong consumer interest.

Percentage of consumers willing to
actively seek out more information

from these companies:


Donut Chart

Ameryka Łacińska

82%

Donut Chart

IMEA (Indie, Bliski Wschód i Afryka)
2026

78%

Donut Chart

Chiny
2026

68%

Donut Chart

Azja i Pacyfik

61%

Donut Chart

Europa
2026

61%

Donut Chart

Stany Zjednoczone

61%

Discover More Of The Study’s Findings

Water Partnerships

No single entity can tackle water challenges on its own. By forging powerful partnerships, businesses, governments and communities can accelerate coordinated action to unlock solutions and build a water-resilient future for all.

Across most regions, consumers hold businesses (including manufacturers) and governments similarly accountable for water conservation. However, both still face criticism for not contributing enough compared to individuals, non-profits and conservation organizations.


The data below details consumer perceptions of how much each entity has done to date to conserve water in their country:

Map of LA

Ameryka Łacińska

42% biznesy
55% Individuals
48% Rząd
60% Non-profits

Map of EU

Europa
2026

45% biznesy
56% Individuals
45% Rząd
54% Non-profits

Map of US

Stany Zjednoczone

47% biznesy
58% Individuals
48% Rząd
56% Non-profits

Map of AP

Azja i Pacyfik
2026

48% biznesy
49% Individuals
46% Rząd
50% Non-profits

Map of IMEA

IMEA (Indie, Bliski Wschód i Afryka)
2026

63% biznesy
69% Individuals
79% Rząd
67% Non-profits

Map of China Mainland

Chiny
2026

80% biznesy
79% Individuals
84% Rząd
79% Non-profits

Despite global water challenges, consumers exhibit significant optimism about our ability to tackle them.
A resounding majority – over 60% of consumers in every region – believe that water scarcity
can be effectively addressed.


The extent to which consumers
agree that water scarcity
can be effectively addressed
:




Circle Chart

Ameryka Łacińska

84%

Circle Chart

IMEA (Indie, Bliski Wschód i Afryka)
2026

83%

Circle Chart

Chiny
2026

73%

Circle Chart

Stany Zjednoczone

67%

Circle Chart

Europa
2026

66%

Circle Chart

Azja i Pacyfik

61%

Discover More Of The Study’s Findings

Extreme Weather Events

Consumers perceive that changes in weather and the increase in natural disasters exacerbate water stress,
leading to challenges in both water availability and quality.


Percentage of consumers who are connecting climate change to worsening water stress:
Circle Chart

IMEA (Indie, Bliski Wschód i Afryka)
2026

81%

Circle Chart

Chiny
2026

80%

Circle Chart

Ameryka Łacińska

79%

Circle Chart

Azja i Pacyfik
2026

69%

Circle Chart

Europa
2026

69%

Circle Chart

Stany Zjednoczone

65%

Consumers clearly demand action on climate change, placing a strong expectation
on both corporate and governmental leadership.


Percentages of consumers who consider
it highly important for governments oraz businesses to prioritize efforts
to lessen
the impact of climate change:




Map of LA

Ameryka Łacińska

87%
88%

Map of IMEA

IMEA (Indie, Bliski Wschód i Afryka)
2026

81%
81%

Map of China Mainland

Chiny
2026

76%
77%

Map of EU

Europa
2026

71%
71%

Map of AP

Azja i Pacyfik

70%
69%

Map of US

Stany Zjednoczone

67%
67%

Discover More Of The Study’s Findings

Notable Annual Trends

As access to clean and safe water continues to be a critical global issue, consumer concern levels are noteworthy.


How concerned consumers are about clean and safe water, broken down by region:

Circle Chart

Chiny
2026

96%

Circle Chart

Ameryka Łacińska

92%

Circle Chart

Stany Zjednoczone

79%
Circle Chart

Europa
2026

69%

Circle Chart

IMEA (Indie, Bliski Wschód i Afryka)
2026

67%

Circle Chart

Azja i Pacyfik
2026

63%

Consumers across most regions consistently identify Agriculture and
Food & Beverage manufacturing as the industries most responsible for water use.


Agricultural
Przemysł spożywczy




Map of IMEA

IMEA (Indie, Bliski Wschód i Afryka)
2026

52%
37%

Map of LA

Ameryka Łacińska

48%
44%

Map of AP

Azja i Pacyfik

47%
36%

Map of EU

Europa
2026

47%
33%

Map of US

Stany Zjednoczone

43%
31%

Map of China Mainland

Chiny
2026

29%
28%

Discover More About Water Annual Trends

Ulepszanie zarządzania zasobami wodnymi

Od ponad 100 lat Ecolab pracuje nad ochroną zasobów niezbędnych do życia, stawiając na pierwszym miejscu zarządzanie zasobami wodnymi we własnych działaniach i działaniach naszych klientów. Ecolab pomaga firmom w ponad 40 branżach na całym świecie reagować na wyzwania związane z klimatem i wodą, minimalizując zużycie wody w kluczowych procesach. Pomagamy naszym klientom wywierać trwały wpływ oraz osiągać wykładniczy zwrot z inwestycji (eROI) poprzez dostosowanie celów związanych z klimatem, wodą i rozwojem biznesu.

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Dowiedz się więcej o tym, jak Ecolab może pomóc z inteligentną gospodarką wodną w Twojej działalności.

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Rozpoznanie możliwości za pomocą aplikacji Smart Water Navigator

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  1. Bloomberg Law, “AI Computing on Pace to Consume More Energy Than India, Arm Says,” April 2024: news.bloomberglaw.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-computing-on-pace-to-consume-more-energy-than-india-arm-says
  2. Ecolab analysis of data from Lei, N., & Masanet, E. (2022) and Goldman Sachs (2024)
  3. Making AI Less “Thirsty”: Uncovering and Addressing the Secret Water Footprint of AI Models: www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/AI-poised-to-drive-160-increase-in-power-demand and TIME, “How AI Is Fueling a Boom in Data Centers and Energy Demand”: time.com/6987773/ai-data-centers-energy-usage-climate-change/
  4. World Resource Institute: “Setting Enterprise Targets: Modeling Downstream Water Use and Consumption”: Setting Enterprise Targets: Modeling Downstream Water Use and Consumption | World Resource Institute
  5. World Resource Institute, “Securing Freshwater for All”: www.wri.org/freshwater