Water is non-negotiable - and neither is responsibility.
Water is the most valuable resource on our planet. And yet access to clean drinking water, sanitation and basic hygiene cannot be taken for granted by millions of people around the world. The consequences are well known - diseases, lack of educational opportunities, economic insecurity and social instability. What is often described in abstract terms in reports is a daily reality for many people: children who are regularly absent from school because schools are unable to provide clean drinking water or functioning sanitary facilities.
For the Cornelsen Group water is not a theoretical sustainability issue or a chapter in the annual report. Water is at the heart of our daily activities. We deal with water that is contaminated - by industrial use, by persistent pollutants, by inputs that have built up over decades and can permanently impair the resource. Anyone who deals intensively with such contamination inevitably develops a different understanding of the value of water - and of the responsibility that comes with it.
Our work focuses on making water usable again and protecting it in the long term. Not as an abstract ideal, but as a practical necessity. This perspective characterises our thinking - and for us it does not end at the boundaries of our own business model. Because anyone who sees on a daily basis what makes water unusable automatically asks themselves where clean water is lacking and what this means for people.
It is precisely this understanding that drives us to go beyond our technological work and support the WASH initiative (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) the international aid and development organisation Oxfam. Oxfam is one of the world's most experienced players in the humanitarian WASH sector and works where clean water, sanitation and hygiene are crucial to health, safety and dignity - especially in crisis and disaster situations.
Credit: Ahmed Al-Basha / Oxfam Intermón
After the intervention, water is delivered directly to Abeer's home, significantly easing her daily struggles.
The focus is on tried and tested, innovative, effective WASH solutionsMobile and robust water tanks for the rapid supply of entire communities, flexible sanitation systems, safe hygiene and menstrual products as well as innovative approaches to water treatment under extreme and unsafe conditions. These measures not only create short-term aid, but also structures that have a long-term impact and save lives.
An example of water treatment:
Our commitment to Oxfam is not an isolated CSR project, but a logical extension of what we stand for as the Cornelsen Group: Re:Think Water. While we deal with the treatment and protection of water on a day-to-day basis, Oxfam works with local partner organisations and the affected communities to ensure that clean water is available in sufficient quantities where it is most urgently needed. Both approaches follow the same basic idea: access to safe water is non-negotiable.
Of course, this commitment is also part of our communication. And this is a conscious decision. Taking responsibility does not mean acting in silence. It means taking a stand, being transparent and encouraging other people to take responsibility too. Economic success and social commitment are not mutually exclusive - they reinforce each other when they are credibly linked.
Global water problems cannot be solved overnight. But innovation and progress are created where vision, technology and responsibility come together. Every improved water supply, every functioning sanitation solution and every stable hygiene situation is a step forward. And this progress opens up new opportunities and prospects: for better health, education and participation.
This is precisely why we say clearly: Cornelsen cares.
Not out of a sense of duty, but out of conviction.
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