Amazon Web Services & Microsoft Win 2024 Global Industrial Water Reuse Champions Award

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft were presented with the Global Industrial Water Reuse Champions Award on December 11 at the 2024 IDRA World Congress in Abu Dhabi. The award recognizes top companies that incorporate best-in-class water recycling and reuse programs to improve water stewardship and achieve their water management goals. As drought and other water challenges compound worldwide, water reuse offers an important tool to help the business community do their part in contributing to sound water management and creating new water supplies.

The award was presented by the International Desalination and Reuse Association (IDRA), University of Pennsylvania Water Center, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Veolia, Veralto, and WateReuse Association as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Water Reuse Action Plan (WRAP).

This award was presented to these two water reuse leaders for excellence in water stewardship:

• Amazon Web Services: AWS will quadruple its number of data centers using recycled water in the US, using 800 MG of recycled water annually by the year 2030. AWS already uses recycled water in 21 different data center locations in the US (Virginia and California), and it is building capacity to support an additional 80+ data centers by 2030, eliminating 800MG of additional freshwater withdrawals through the use of recycled water in the US alone.
• Microsoft – As of June 2024, Microsoft contracted for replenishment projects that will provide more than 25 million m³ in volumetric water benefit over the lifetime of the projects. The company met its water access target by reaching more than 1.5 million people with access to clean water and sanitation. Microsoft is on track to achieve a 40% water intensity reduction by 2030, further contributing to global water sustainability efforts. To continue achieving these ambitious goals, Microsoft is increasing its procurement of reuse water in data centers and other facilities. In 2023, Microsoft expanded the use of recycled water in Texas, Washington, California, and Singapore. In the Netherlands, Sweden, and Ireland datacenters, rainwater is used to partially offset cooling and humidification needs.