Water

Clean water is critical to human life and the environment, yet access to sustainable sources of clean water for consumption, enjoyment and environmental stewardship has never been more at risk. Water scarcity and access issues caused by climate change and other externalities (e.g., conflicts) pose challenges to municipal, industrial and environmental stakeholders seeking to meet increased demand from population growth and industrial production as well as environmental and sustainability goals.

Companies operating in the circular water economy face a number of tough questions:

• What are the greatest unmet needs to evolve the current water value chain and infrastructure into a true circular economy ― source, treatment, usage, recycle/reuse, replenish?
• What emerging technologies, equipment and solutions will be critical to meeting these needs?
• How can innovative digital tools, data and analytics be adopted by the water industry to accelerate this transformation?
• How are procurement, deployment, maintenance and operation of water infrastructure and other water-related assets expected to evolve given these trends, and what impact will they have on existing industry players’ market positions?
• What opportunities should companies pursue for sustainable, profitable growth in the circular water economy, and how should they deploy their investment resources?

L.E.K. Consulting supports leading industrial companies and investors as they navigate the rapidly evolving market for water, wastewater, and reclamation products and services. We advise a diverse range of businesses, including original equipment manufacturers, service firms and private equity investors. Our experienced professionals have a deep understanding of key issues in the water industry as well as industries that are heavy users of water resources, such as energy, chemicals, mining, and pulp and paper. We bring a unique combination of objective analysis and insight, leveraging knowledge gained from decades of experience with leading industrial companies and investors in this space.

We help businesses create sustainable and differentiated value for their consumers, shareholders and the environment. Our work focuses on several areas: 

• Market evaluation: Analyzing the water, wastewater and reclamation markets and their competitive landscape
• Strategy development: Designing robust growth strategies for a rapidly evolving market
• M&A: Providing M&A support and post-merger integration services
• Resource allocation: Assessing where and how capital and investment resources should be deployed