Marketing Implications of Recycled Wastewater Technologies
The basis of any marketing activity is studying the market environment to create a product that best meets the consumer’s needs. Alternatively, if the product cannot be modified, a market for the product must be identified or created. This paper will identify the possible marketing implications of implementing the recycled wastewater technologies described in Tortajada’s article (2020) “Contributions of recycled wastewater to clean water and sanitation Sustainable Development Goals.” This study describes the contribution of water reuse and discusses successful and failed water reuse projects.
Link to the UN Sustainable Development Goals
The article refers to the sixth UN Sustainable Development Goal, “Clean Water and Sanitation.” Tortajada (2020) notes that increased recycling and safe water reuse will lead to more clean water for all uses and tremendous progress in sanitation and wastewater management. Reusing water can improve the quality of life for billions of people by providing them with clean water and meeting one of the goals of sustainable development. The reuse of drinking water is not an innovative idea, but it is becoming more relevant due to the scarcity and pollution of water.
Definition of Stakeholders
Decisions to provide clean water and sanitation depend on action or inaction at all levels of government, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and the public. Thus, stakeholders are politicians, decision-makers at the state, municipality, and district levels, as well as members of society. In addition, to ensure the technological and financial security of the project, the participation of public utilities and financial organizations is necessary. Institutional and government organizations contribute to the development of long-term planning programs for the implementation of water re-treatment projects.
Potential Marketing Issues
Several significant marketing challenges may arise when introducing water repurification technologies. The main one is the lack of public acceptance and support. At the level of technology and finance, any problems related to the quality control of treated water, risk assessment, and response to them can be solved. Still, public distrust and protest can kill any project. Another obvious problem is the lack of political will and dependence on political interests and electoral cycles. However, the root of this problem also lies in the public approval of water reuse projects.
In the coming years, the market for water regeneration or wastewater use will grow due to increased water and water security demand. The growth of the global population and the subsequent focus on industrialization, combined with the growing demand from the agricultural sector, is expected to drive the development of the market. The rapid pace of urbanization in developing countries is the need for water treatment solutions (Research and Markets, 2022).
The global wastewater treatment and reuse technology market is estimated to grow from $21.3 billion in 2021 to $40.5 billion by 2026 at a compound annual growth rate of 13.8% during the forecast period 2021- 2026 (Eckardá 2021). However, water reuse projects have not always been successful: in some cases, public opposition has rejected disposal plans, while in other cases, public concerns have been successfully addressed.
Most people readily agree to use purified water for agricultural or industrial purposes. However, people believe that purified water is dangerous to drink. The stereotypes are so strong that projects have been canceled despite concerns about water shortages (Hou et al., 2021). In this case, a complex of marketing actions is needed, which will be aimed at informing the public and combating stereotypes.
Strategic Response to Marketing Issues
Public messages should be wider than the benefits of water reuse. They should also include information on institutional coordination and regulatory, managerial, and technological advances that can and will reduce chemical and microbial contaminants to levels similar to or lower than many high-quality drinking water sources (Robbins et al., 2022). Moreover, people must be given information about alternative water supply sources and purification (Robbins et al., 2022). Cities where the systems have performed well, such as Windhoek, Singapore, and Orange County, have become role models and explorers.
The project’s success also depends on pricing, which is based on the product’s base cost. The balance between a competitive price that will cover the company’s expenses and a fair price that will suit consumers will ensure the stability of the project (Tortajada & van Rensburg, 2020). This issue requires the formation of public opinion through the media and social networks and joint work between stakeholders – producers, consumers, and local authorities.
The lack of dialogue between stakeholders and the political will of the people in power can become another marketing problem in the implementation of projects. This issue can be solved at the project development stage by choosing those cities where the problem of water shortage is acute, there are technical possibilities for implementation, and standards for drinking water have been established (Tortajada & van Rensburg, 2020). Once the project proves successful in these places, other communities will also want to innovate them.
Market analysis should include grouping people into segments that are for, slightly for, slightly against, and against, and designing marketing actions that will change people’s behavior. In the process of project implementation, it is necessary to track changes in the number of people in each group (Wirtz & Lovelock, 2021). Similar studies should be carried out for all interested parties. The data obtained can be used to develop an optimized step-by-step program for increasing public recognition.
References
Eckard, R. (2021). Global markets and technologies for water recycling and reuse. BCC Research: Wellesly, MA, USA. Web.
Hou, C., Wen, Y., He, Y., Liu, X., Wang, M., Zhang, Z., & Fu, H. (2021). Public stereotypes of recycled water end uses with different human contact: evidence from event-related potential (ERP). Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 168. Web.
Research and Markets. (2022). Water recycle and reuse technologies – Global Market trajectory & analytics. Web.
Robbins, C. A., Du, X., Bradley, T. H., Quinn, J. C., Bandhauer, T. M., Conrad, S. A., & Tong, T. (2022). Beyond treatment technology: Understanding motivations and barriers for wastewater treatment and reuse in unconventional energy production. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 177. Web.
Tortajada, C. (2020). Contributions of recycled wastewater to clean water and sanitation Sustainable Development Goals. NPJ Clean Water, 3(1), 1-6. Web.
Tortajada, C., & van Rensburg, P. (2020). Drink more recycled wastewater. Nature, 577, 26-28. Web.
Wirtz, J., & Lovelock, C. (2021). Services marketing: People, technology, strategy. World Scientific.