Earth Day 2026: Ecolab’s Water Navigator IQ Platform

Reliable water access is the foundation of approximately 60% of global GDP, as the world faces a projected 56% shortfall of freshwater by 2030, according to Ecolab. 

With the growth of AI, demand for water is rising and water access is critical for business growth. 

In line with Earth Day, Ecolab has announced Ecolab Water Navigator IQ, an AI-enabled platform to help companies manage their water performance.

About Ecolab Water Navigator IQ

Ecolab Water Navigator IQ brings together site-level insights and predictive analytics in one platform, supporting the growing need for water intelligence.

It enables leaders to understand their organisation’s water use, benchmark performance, improve efficiency and align decisions with business outcomes.

It helps identify potential constraints earlier, which allows leaders to prioritise action across sites and connect local decisions to a coordinated global strategy.

Christophe Beck, Chairman and CEO of Ecolab, says: “The need for high-quality water is growing extremely fast as AI expands, with water required at every stage of the process, from mining critical materials and manufacturing chips to powering, cooling and maintaining data centres.

“In a world reshaped by AI, performance is everything. But high performance cannot be realised without water.

“Ecolab’s transformative technologies and insights help our customers use water more efficiently to optimise operations and fuel growth.”

Why the platform matters

The Water Navigator IQ platform forms part of Ecolab’s expansive portfolio of water solutions, which integrate monitoring, insights and global expertise.

They enable businesses to do more with less in an increasingly water-constrained world.

Ecolab has more than a century of expertise as a global leader in water, hygiene and infection prevention.

Its solutions aim to help customers to unlock peak performance across more than 40 industries and 170 countries.

Ecolab Water Navigator IQ strengthens its portfolio of advanced technologies and services, demonstrating how the company helps its customers achieve operational excellence while turning water into one of the most powerful drivers of business growth and performance.

Emilio Tenuta, SVP and Chief Sustainability Officer at Ecolab, says: “Los Angeles, Mexico City, Seville and Beijing couldn’t be more different, but they share the same reality: water is no longer a given.

“In water-stressed regions, highly water-dependent operations like data centres or brewing manufacturers can see up to 99% of production and revenue at risk during a disruption.

“The difference is predictability. With early, predictive insights and tools like Ecolab Water Navigator IQ, companies can anticipate constraints, make smarter decisions and position themselves for growth and resilience.”

Ecolab’s wider sustainability

Through its solutions, Ecolab helps protect one-third of the world’s food production and a quarter of the power generated while delivering innovative solutions across food, healthcare, data centres, microelectronics, life sciences and hospitality.

It aims to protect the Earth’s resources, making environmentally conscious decisions within its own operations as well as empowering other businesses around the world to advance sustainable growth.

Emilio writes on LinkedIn: “Earth Day is a reminder that the future of growth runs through water.

“For decades sustainability conversations focused on intention. Today, leadership is about execution and using data and technology to manage risk and deliver results at scale.

“That’s why today’s launch of the Ecolab Water Navigator IQ matters. In an increasingly water-constrained world, let’s work together to change the way water is managed to enable businesses to do more with less.”