Associate feature: A world first, and its impact over a decade later

In 2008 Scotland became the first country in the world to introduce a competitive retail water market. This paved the way for all businesses and public sector organisations to be able to choose their supplier and get a better deal for their water.

The competitive market has enabled us at Business Stream, the largest water retailer in Scotland, to help our customers save over £213 million. But it’s not just about the financial savings or even the improvements to service delivery; the market has also encouraged retailers to do more – lots more – to help customers become more environmentally efficient. We have helped our customers save over 60,000 tonnes of CO2 and over 38 billion litres of water – that’s the equivalent of nearly half a billion filled bathtubs!

The success of the market encouraged the UK Government to follow suit and two years ago the English retail water market opened. In addition to enabling non-household customers in England to reap similar benefits, it also means that any Scottish business with operations in England can now use a single supplier for all their water needs – helping to reduce administrative costs and deliver financial and environmental savings.

Opening the Scottish water market was clearly a bold move, but we can reflect back on the past decade with pride knowing that the market has delivered tangible benefits for customers, and helped to shape market developments in England. Looking ahead to the next decade, we will continue to invest in innovative solutions to help meet our customers’ needs whilst also encouraging our customers to have a positive impact on the environment (and their pockets) by using water wisely. 

Jo Dow is chief executive of Business Stream

This piece was sponsored by Business Stream