A Schneider Electric survey found that water stress raised operating costs for 44% of industrial leaders in eight European countries, as many expect water problems to constrain growth.
The company said an average of 52% of the industrial leaders expected water quality or availability to seriously limit their companies’ growth by 2031. Fourteen percent said water was already affecting operations or growth when they answered the survey in June 2026. Those figures describe respondents’ experiences and expectations, rather than measured future losses.
Other costs appeared across company operations. Looking back over the two years before the survey, 38% reported pressure on infrastructure and maintenance budgets, while 30% cited supply chain disruptions. Asked to consider a serious interruption to water supply, 44% said their operations would be affected within 24 hours. That response concerns a hypothetical disruption.
The European Environment Agency (EEA) reported on Oct. 20 that EU manufacturers generate more economic value per unit of water than they did in 2010, although the sector’s total water use has remained broadly unchanged. The agency has identified climate change and growing demand as pressures on European water supplies.
Censuswide conducted the Schneider survey among 210 director-level or more senior industrial leaders at companies with at least 1,000 employees. It also questioned a separate group of 130 water-system decision-makers. The June 2026 fieldwork covered the UK, Ireland, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Sweden and Denmark. Schneider’s announcement did not explain how it calculated the 52% average or provide the questionnaire, sampling method or weighting needed to assess that figure.
Among the industrial leaders, 47% reported increased investment in water efficiency, and 43% said their boards had formally reviewed water risk. Another 58% knew of digital-twin or network-modeling tools but had not installed them. Schneider Electric sells water-management technology and commissioned the survey.
The European Commission aims to improve EU water efficiency by at least 10% by 2030. It plans to develop common benchmarks during a review of its water-resilience strategy in 2027.
