Waterwise is delighted to announce that South East Water is the new Headline Sponsor of Water Saving Week 2026, supporting a national campaign focused on helping people understand the vital connection between everyday water use and the health of the natural environment.
Taking place from 4-8 May 2026, Water Saving Week is a flagship campaign led by Waterwise, designed to inspire individuals, organisations, and communities to take simple, meaningful action to reduce water waste and protect the natural world.
This year’s theme, Protect Water for Wildlife, highlights how every drop of water saved helps protect rivers, lakes, ponds, and green spaces that wildlife depends on. The campaign focuses on making the link between daily water use and environmental impact more visible, while encouraging practical action that everyone can take.
During the week Waterwise will be partnering with The Rivers Trust and WildFish through The Living Rivers Project to share stories from waterways across the UK, helping to bring the issue to life and highlight the pressures facing freshwater ecosystems.
A shared focus on water and environmental responsibility
South East Water joins the campaign as Headline Sponsor in recognition of the important role water companies play in both supplying water to customers and protecting the environment. From nature-based solutions that improve water quality at the source to managing the environmental impacts associated with water abstraction and use.
Their work forms part of of the Seven Sisters National Nature Reserve, the first National Nature Reserve designated specifically for the protection of groundwater.
South East Water is also the first water company to publish a 25-year environmental plan, H25, setting out long-term ambitions to reduce environmental impact and improve resilience for future water resources.
Driving collective action
Waterwise continues to champion water efficiency as a key part of addressing environmental pressures and building long-term resilience in the water system. Water Saving Week 2026 encourages people across the UK to recognise that protecting water is directly linked to protecting wildlife, habitats, and future water security.
Waterwise Campaigns Manager Chloe McFarland said: “Water Saving Week is a chance to make something quite abstract feel real, that the water coming out of our taps is connected to rivers, wildlife and the wider environment. Small changes really do add up, and this campaign is about making that connection clearer and easier to act on.”
Emma Goodard, Head of Environment at South East Water, said: “It’s great to see the environment as the focus of this year’s Water Saving Week. Water and the environment go hand in hand. Without a healthy environment we don’t have sustainable water sources, and without water the environment will suffer.
“At South East Water we have a team of specialists dedicated to protecting it which includes looking after 33 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), two nature reserves, and numerous National Landscapes. We are also a key partner in the Seven Sisters National Nature Reserve, the first National Nature Reserve dedicated to groundwater protection. These sites have a wide variety of flourishing fauna and flora which is the result of many years of careful management. For example, by restoring rare chalk heathland at Lullington Heath in East Sussex we have seen biodiversity boom and have been able to reintroduce the rare wart-biter cricket to the habitat. We are committed to protecting and improving the environment, not just for today, but for generations to come.”
For more information, visit our Water Saving Week web page.
