Every drop is precious: how SCHELL is helping save water worldwide

For many of us, water is just ‘always there’ – whenever we turn on the tap. Yet while this seems self-evident in our part of the world, water is truly a luxury elsewhere. Our most important resource faces increasing pressure from climate change, urban growth and rising consumption: as rivers run dry and groundwater levels sink, millions of people are now struggling to gain access to clean drinking water.

Saving water is something we should all be doing – and SCHELL is playing an active part in reducing water consumption with its modern, water-saving fittings. This blog post takes a look at the situation around the world, the things we can all do, and how SCHELL is already preparing for the future with its well-designed solutions.

Water scarcity as a worldwide challenge
Saving water every day
Fitting solutions for economical water usage
Save water with SCHELL

Everywhere you look, water is getting scarcer

It sounds unbelievable, but in 2018, Cape Town – home to millions of people – faced its ‘Day Zero’, a day on which its taps would literally have run dry. Only by taking drastic measures was this outcome prevented. The situation is similarly precarious in parts of India, with cities like Chennai now depending on daily water tanker deliveries.

Even in countries thought to have plentiful water resources, such as the USA, levels on major rivers like the Colorado River are running low – with serious consequences for agriculture and drinking water supplies.

Experts are also sounding the alarm here in Germany: according to the 2025 Water Atlas from the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND), we are losing 2.5 billion cubic metres of water annually – despite heavier rainfall. This is because much of the precipitation is not entering the groundwater where needed.

Wasserstrahl auf Hand — Many people underestimate just how much water they use every day. Putting a number on this consumption can help people take steps to reduce it.

So, how much water do we actually use?

The average person in Germany uses around 126 litres of drinking water every day – much more than you’d think. What are the biggest ‘water wasters’?

Baths and showers: about 36% (up to 12 litres a minute!)
WC: about 27% (6–9 litres per flush)
Washing machine, dishwasher: about 15%
Food prep, drinking water: only about 4%
Other activities – such as cleaning, watering the garden, car washing: about 18%

Nor is that all. Our ‘virtual’ water consumption is actually even higher. While we don’t see the water that’s used to manufacture and ship our consumer goods, it makes a big difference to our personal water budget.

1 kg beef = 15,000 litres of water
1 T-shirt = 2,700 litres
1 pizza: = 1,300 litres
1 cup of coffee = 140 litres

So, eco-conscious consumption also helps us to save more water.

Saves water every day – it’s easier than you might think

The good news, however, is that we don’t need to make radical changes to save water. A few examples:

Take shorter showers: Even a minute less can save up to 10 litres.
Use the short flush button on the WC or convert the WC to use a modern cistern.
Fix any leaky taps – drop for drop, this can soon turn into thousands of litres of water a year.
Use rain water to water the garden instead of using water from the tap.

What’s more, an eco-friendly shopper – who buys regional, seasonal and second-hand – also greatly reduces their ‘invisible’ water consumption.

Elektronische-Waschtisch-Armatur-MODUS-E — Electronic, sensor-controlled wash basin taps from SCHELL can help to reduce water consumption by up to 70 percent when compared to regular single-lever mixers.

SCHELL solutions: a convenient way to save water and energy

For decades, SCHELL has been developing solutions that make it easier to save water, especially in sanitary facilities on public and commercial premises, where consumption levels can quickly add up.

Here are a few examples:

Reduce the flow volume – barely noticeable but very effective

Flow restrictors from SCHELL reduce water consumption at the wash basin from about 5 litres to 3.8 litres a minute, without users even noticing the difference. A quick and easy option for anyone who wants to save water every time they wash their hands. Flow restrictors are also a very simple retrofit to any tap. In addition, SCHELL offers specialised LEED flow restrictors for LEED building certification.

WC cisterns with a dual flush – like the MONTUS WC modules from SCHELL – also help to reduce water consumption. WC operating panels with a single flush, such as the EDITION WC operating panel, can reduce individual flush volumes to as little as 4.5 litres per minute.

Contactless sensor fittings

With fittings like the MODUS E, water only flows when hands are directly underneath – the ideal option for washrooms in frequent use. Water and energy savings of up to 70 percent are possible, compared with standard single-lever mixers.

By way of example... Normal hand washing can easily use about 3.75 litres of water. With a sensor tap, this drops to only about 1.25 litres – more than 9,000 litres saved per person, per year.

Economical, user-friendly showers

The SCHELL MODUS MD-T shower fitting with thermostatic temperature control heats the water to the required temperature more quickly, which ensures less water drains away unused. Less waiting, less waste.

Small changes, big effects – together with SCHELL

Water is not an infinite resource. Every drop counts – as we can see both in the news and in our everyday lives. With just a few small behavioural changes and intelligent technologies, consumption can be massively reduced without compromising on comfort.

SCHELL supplies the solutions that make saving water easy. For a future in which we all have access to clean water.

Want to find out more about our water-saving fittings and solutions? Then get in touch – and let’s make a difference together!