May 15, 2024: The Swiss Water Association (VSA), Eawag and Hunziker Betatech AG HBT recognise water as a public good and a human right, commit themselves to tap water and become a Blue Community. At the same time, Blue Community Switzerland joins forces with the Solidarit’eau Suisse network to benefit from synergies. Together with its partners, the VSA now runs the Blue Community Switzerland office.
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Media release translated:
Merger of Blue Community & Solidarit’eau Suisse
Three major water stakeholders become a Blue Community
The Swiss Water Association (VSA), Eawag and Hunziker Betatech AG HBT recognise water as a public good and a human right, commit themselves to tap water and become a Blue Community. At the same time, Blue Community Switzerland joins forces with the Solidarit’eau Suisse network to benefit from synergies. Together with its partners, the VSA now runs the Blue Community Switzerland office.
Water as a public good, water as a human right, drinking tap water instead of bottled water, international solidarity and responsible use of water: these are the core concerns of Blue Communities. Today, around 40 towns, universities, parishes, trade unions and NGOs belong to the Blue Community Switzerland network. With the Swiss Water Association (VSA), the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) and Hunziker Betatech AG (HBT), three important Swiss water players with influence on the entire water sector have joined the network.
For Stefan Hasler, Director of the VSA, the commitment to the Blue Community is a matter close to his heart: «The VSA has been committed to the protection and sustainable use of water resources for many decades. The four principles of the Blue Community are fully in line with our commitment. That’s why we want to further develop this strong brand and work towards having 400 Blue Communities in Switzerland in a few years instead of just 40.»
Benjamin Lüthi, member of the board of directors of Hunziker Betatech AG HBT, explains HBT’s commitment as follows: «Water is exciting, inspiring and sometimes complex – even with more than six decades of experience in the field of wastewater and water protection. We feel a common responsibility to give a voice to the precious resource of water. Together with the other members of the Blue Community, we want to ensure that this goal is achieved.»
For Christian Stamm, Deputy Director of Eawag, Eawag’s involvement in the Blue Community is «almost a necessity». After all, he says, Eawag has played a key role in shaping water protection in Switzerland since the 1930s. «Above all, we have always been committed to gaining a comprehensive understanding of water as a habitat and resource, identifying problems at an early stage and developing widely accepted solutions», says Stamm.
Blue Community Switzerland and Solidarit’eau Suisse complement each other
The VSA has been running the secretariat of Solidarit’eau Suisse together with the Service de l’eau Lausanne since 1 January 2021. The aim of this initiative is to enable Swiss communities to show their solidarity with countries in the Global South by supporting projects for the construction of wells, pipelines and sanitation facilities, as well as hygiene awareness campaigns. Solidarit’eau Suisse is the ideal tool for Blue Communities that do not have their own experts to evaluate/maintain an international partnership, in order to implement principle no. 4 “Promote international partnerships in the field of drinking water or sanitation”. This is why Blue Community and Solidarit’eau Suisse are working together. The VSA plays a leading role in the secretariat of Blue Community Switzerland and continues to manage the Solidarit’eau Suisse project platform.
Photo: from left to right: Christian Stamm (Member of the Eawag Directorate), Benjamin Lüthi (Member of the Management Board of Hunziker Betatech AG HBT) and VSA Director Stefan Hasler receive the Blue Community certificate
