The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared that the world is facing a water scarcity crisis, with more than 2 billion people already living in areas of water stress. This alarming statistic has made it clear that the world needs to find new and innovative solutions to this growing problem. In much the same way the founder of the British National Health Service, Aneurin Bevan, believed no society could call itself legitimate if medical care was denied to a sick person due to a lack of means. In this way, the major economies of the world are faced with a similar moral test, as those with fewer means continue to struggle without safe water. Access to clean water is one of the biggest health issues of our time and with over 800,000 people dying each year from unsafe water - according to WHO, the need for profound change is obvious. 

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Water is the lifeblood of humanity and the ability to transport it safely and securely will help to ensure the problem is eradicated. Water is commonly transported through pipes. The safest and most durable method to distribute clean water is through plastic piping. It is a pipe material that compares favourably with concrete or ductile iron pipes in terms of sustainability. 

The ability to transport water to all corners of the globe is a daunting one and will require many contributors. 

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Rollepaal Pipe Extrusion Technology is one such contributor. Rollepaal is leading the change in sustainable, cost and material-saving solutions for water pipe production. Their unique technology allows for the production of high-quality, reliable and corrosion-resistant water pipes with fewer materials, energy and labour than traditional methods. These cost and material-saving solutions are especially beneficial for areas affected by water scarcity. The cost of traditional water pipes can be expensive and prohibitively high in some of the world’s most impoverished areas. By using Rollepaal’s technology, these areas can create the same high-quality water pipes for a fraction of the price, helping to ensure that everyone has access to clean, safe water. Rollepaal is also committed to reducing its own carbon footprint. Their eco-friendly extrusion technology only requires a small amount of energy and materials, resulting in a significantly reduced carbon footprint

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Sustainability is a key trend in the plastic pipe industry. Rollepaal has created PCV-O technology and Rollepaal Multilayer to ensure the reduction in materials used by their customers. Their solutions for pressure pipe (RBlue) will reduce up to 64% of material per meter pipe. This is improved still further by Rollepaal's processing solution for non-pressure pipe, which will save up to 70% of virgin material per meter pipe.

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The ability to produce more pipe, using less plastic has allowed Rollepaal's customers to produce eight million kilometers of pipe with the extruders, which equates to eleven times the distance from the earth to the moon and back. It has also allowed the company to lend a helping hand to support its customers on their net zero journeys by reducing materials and energy consumption, increasing the use of recycled materials and shifting away from fossil fuels. 

The Chief Commercial Officer at the company, Pieter Brinks, is of the belief that the company is making its impact felt. "With these technologies, we at Rollepaal believe that we are fulfilling our promise to contribute actively to the success of our customers and our environment by offering sustainable cost-saving solutions."