• Wienerberger offers as a leading provider innovative infrastructure systems and tailor-made water management solutions for agricultural and municipal applications
• Thanks to its smart all-in solutions, Wienerberger has positioned itself as a reliable partner developing innovations in response to the growing challenges of climate change and urbanization.

Vienna, September 21, 2022 – In times of climate change, water is becoming an increasingly scarce and valuable resource. Additionally, periods of drought and extreme weather events, such as rainstorms or flash floods, confront agriculture with new challenges and create an unprecedented, urgent need for sustainable and efficient water management in cities and local communities. At the same time, increasing urbanization calls for solutions to ensure the safe and secure supply of urban agglomerations with potable water. The Wienerberger Piping Solutions Business Unit provides a comprehensive portfolio of innovative system solutions for sustainable and efficient water management. These all-in solutions, supplied on a one-stop-shop basis, support agricultural operators and municipalities in their efforts to minimize leakage losses, improve potable water management in densely populated urban areas, plan pipeline maintenance cycles more efficiently, and derive the greatest possible benefit from digitalization. With these innovations, the company reacts to current challenges in water management arising as a result of climate change and growing urbanization.

“Water is one of the most important resources worldwide – extremely valuable and rare in the right quality. Megatrends, such as climate change, rapid population growth, and urbanization, call for new solutions and innovations in sustainable water management. Within the framework of our value-enhancing strategy, we have further expanded our complementary strengths and are clearly differentiating ourselves from our competitors as a full-service provider. To support our customers, we are constantly working on the further development of smart all-in solutions to address these challenges in water management. In this area, we have to act swiftly and sustainably, especially in the interest of future generations," says Heimo Scheuch, Chairman of the Managing Board of Wienerberger.

Tailor-made products for irrigation and drainage in agriculture

In the future, more efficient irrigation systems will be essential for successful crop production, even in regions that did not require irrigation in the past. Since 2020, Pipelife has embarked on a new course, for instance in South-Eastern Europe, where many of the existing irrigation systems are obsolete. Pipelife now provides farmers with tailor-made 360-degree solutions, which not only reduce water consumption thanks to drip irrigation, but also diminish water losses during irrigation. Moreover, over the years, Pipelife has continuously developed and improved its products and services in this field, ranging from wastewater treatment to micro-irrigation to rainwater harvesting. These cost-effective technologies are being combined for use in agriculture, where resource-efficient, precision-controlled irrigation methods enable farmers to reuse water several times.

Rainwater management: Wienerberger makes cities and communities fit a changing climate

Wienerberger is not only a sought-after partner well-known for its smart responses to climate change, but also a leading provider of rainwater management systems, which have become an indispensable component of urban and infrastructure development. Wienerberger Piping Solutions supports municipalities in Europe in their efforts to become climate-resilient. Given the predominance of sealed surfaces, many expanding urban agglomerations are suffering from the effects of rainstorms. Communities exposed to the risk of flooding combine their green and blue infrastructure, such as green spaces and water storage basins, with Raineo®, the proven rainwater management system produced by Wienerberger Piping Solutions. The system harvests and stores excess rainwater, which is then discharged in a controlled way or allowed to seep into the ground.

Urban water management: Pipelife launches pilot project in the Netherlands

Faced with intensifying climate change and growing populations, cities are looking for new ways of securing their water supply in the long run. Pipelife is advancing this development with forward-looking solutions aimed at addressing the challenge of increasing urbanization. Numerous cities in Europe are struggling with problems due to obsolete potable water networks. In some EU countries, more than half of the potable water is lost through leaking pipelines, inadequate water management, and poorly maintained infrastructure. Millions of cubic meters of water can be saved each year through smart monitoring and efficient maintenance. Smart probing is an innovative method designed by Wienerberger; an intelligent technology capable of inspecting pipes at any point of the water network. Cooperating with water utilities, Pipelife launched a project in the Netherlands in order to fully exploit the potential of this system. 

More stories on this topic can be found here:

Water Distribution: Pioneering New Paths for Cities (wienerberger.com)
Precious Resource Water: Solutions for the Future (wienerberger.com)
Farming in a Changing Climate: Every Drop Counts! (wienerberger.com)

Wienerberger Group
The Wienerberger Group is a leading international provider of smart solutions for the entire building envelope and for infrastructure. Wienerberger is the world’s largest producer of bricks (Porotherm, Terca) and the market leader in clay roof tiles (Koramic, Tondach) in Europe as well as concrete pavers (Semmelrock) in Eastern Europe. In pipe systems (Steinzeug-Keramo ceramic pipes and Pipelife plastic pipes), the company is one of the leading suppliers in Europe. By acquiring Meridian Brick, Wienerberger further strengthened its position as a leading supplier of facade products in North America. With its total of 220 production sites, the Wienerberger Group generated revenues of € 4.0 billion and EBITDA LFL of € 671 million in 2021. 

For further information, please contact:
Claudia Hajdinyak, Head of Corporate Communications Wienerberger AG
t +43 664 828 31 83 | claudia.hajdinyak@wienerberger.com