Wavin, Orbia’s Building and Infrastructure business and a Netherlands-based global water technology company providing safe, healthy, and secure water, is an accredited delegate to the United Nations (UN) Water Conference kicking off March 22. 

Co-hosted by the Netherlands and Tajikistan, the conference’s purpose is to accelerate universal access to clean drinking water and safe sanitation, including the goals contained in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Against this backdrop, Wavin is extending its water-related commitments as part of the UN Water Action Agenda, convening events to raise awareness of water innovations and to learn from the people who invent them. Wavin is also committed to bringing its technologies to North America to help solve the need for clean and safe water. 

“We’re honored to participate in the world’s largest water conference to collaborate with diverse voices from companies, governments, and delegations that share a common goal — clean and safe water,” said Courtney Fretz Obregon, vice president and general manager of Wavin North America. 

Wavin’s Commitment as Part of the UN’s Water Action Agenda 
As part of Orbia’s commitment to global sustainable development and delivering solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges, it is supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), including SDG 6: Clean Water & Sanitation.

In line with this, Wavin is implementing the delivery of a minimum of 25 Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) projects, providing water access to at least 50,000 people in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru. These projects are part of the company’s Community Program in Latin America, which provides a pathway to create resilient communities by addressing water and sanitation issues. Wavin has several production facilities in Latin America, including regions where potable water facilities, sewer systems, and other crucial infrastructure are lacking. 

The 2023 commitment strives to match its impact in 2022 whereby Wavin engineers provided technical assistance in implementing donated Wavin technologies, including 402 clean water storage tanks with a total capacity of 221,210 liters, 54 hand-washing stations, 178 rainwater systems, and 14 biodigesters. 

Wavin fosters long-standing relationships with partner organizations (NGOs) in many countries to plan and complete these projects. 

Orbia Convening Events at the UN Water Conference 
In addition to showcasing the company’s digital and connected water management systems in the conference’s Innovation Pavilion beginning on March 22, Wavin will also provide two opportunities to foster greater collaboration to accelerate the pace of innovation:

• March 22, 2023, at 5 pm | Women in Water, is a sanctioned UN side event at the Chief NYC clubhouse in Tribeca co-hosted by Wavin, Chief, and the FEMSA Foundation. The event will provide a platform for women to connect, share ideas, and support each other while creating a network that lives on beyond the event in New York.
• March 23, 2023, at 8:30 AM ET | The Boiling Point Challenge: A Heated Discussion will be held at the Dutch Water House (666 3^rd Avenue, 21 Floor, New York). It will feature five emerging water entrepreneurs competing for the top prize of $50,000 from a panel of judges and a second $10,000 "audience choice" prize. Wavin is co-hosting with Imagine H2O, the global water innovation accelerator.

As part of the event, Wavin will host its first U.S. Wavin WaterTech Forum, with keynotes featuring Dutch "aquapreneur" Friso Klapwijk, who pioneered a system to transform unused urban flat roofs into a smart grid for rainwater capture and green space, and RainKeep artist Allison Newsome, recognized in 2022’s Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Awards. Both will open the discussion on how nature-based solutions inspire circular water design.

• Exclusive Showing | Wavin is offering scheduled media tours of 450 Warren in Brooklyn, New York), which houses the first U.S. Polder roof installation. The PolderRoof System is a blue-green roof that captures and reuses rainwater to sustain rooftop vegetation that  reduces building energy use by cooling roofs and providing shade, thermal mass, and insulation.

Wavin Commitment to Serving Needs of North American Market  
Wavin has a 60-plus year history of innovation in plastic pipe systems and solutions and a footprint in 80+ countries. It entered the North American market in early 2023 to address customer needs for environmentally responsible water technologies. Its focus is on partnering with North American system designers and plumbing contractors to improve water technologies in buildings and make cities more climate resilient. 

In addition to establishing its own sales and distribution footprint in North America, Wavin acquired Bow Plumbing Group in August 2022. Bow is a Montreal-based manufacturer of plastic pipes and fittings for the residential and commercial construction industry. Wavin has manufacturing locations in North America and strategically-located warehouses and salespeople behind their proven portfolio of technologies designed for participation in the region.

“At Wavin, our vision is to build circular water systems and net zero water communities that are safe, secure, and future-proof. Our participation at the UN Water Conference takes us closer to a future where half of all buildings are thriving ecosystems that also reduce energy demand, and cities which are climate resilient,” Fretz Obregon concluded.