‘TheDropStore’ Shows How Everyday Products Will Look in a World Without Water

Drought, flooding and scarcity of clean drinking water may seem a distant problem for some of us, but for half the world's population - 3.6 billion people - it is the daily reality. And if we don’t act now, a water crisis might impact us earlier than expected. While many people are unaware of the long-term effects of a water crisis, the issue ultimately affects us all. To draw attention to this prevailing crisis, the 'The Drop Store', an initiative from the Department Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Publicis Groupe gives consumers a glimpse of how a water crisis will affect their daily lives. 

As with climate change, the impact of a water disaster is too remote or too quickly forgotten. People are simply unaware of the long-term effects a water crisis can have on their daily lives and consumption. If nothing is done, too much water, too little water and even dirty water can and will drastically change access to essential products, their form, availability, prices and even composition. 'The Drop Store’ mapped these products – everything from soda to pizza, pills to pure water, rice, and cheese and priced them accordingly. 

“'The Drop Store’ is a supermarket experience with a twist," said René van Hell, director inclusive green growth department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands." All available products are affected by major water challenges - these will affect physical products and their prices in an alarming way. We explain the science and impact of a water crisis behind each product in great detail, making the impact of water on everyday life incredibly tangible to people."

UN Water Conference

To raise awareness of the global water issue, the UN Water Conference '23 will take place from 22 to 24 March in New York, with the Netherlands as co-host. The conference brings together political leaders, various stakeholders, and key opinion leaders. During the conference, various meetings and dialogues will take place, on topics such as water and health, water and sustainable development, water and climate change, and water cooperation. Ultimately, the UN Water Conference should lead to changes in the local and global water agenda.

Preserve every drop

To prevent ‘The Drop Store’ from becoming a reality one day, the importance of working together is bigger than ever. Worldwide attention to preserve every drop of water for everyone, everywhere, and everything is crucial. Therefore, with 'The Drop Store’, Publicis Groupe strives to create awareness about possible water disasters and to motivate people to act now. 

Check out the website for more information as well as a list of initiatives aimed at combating the emerging water crisis for those wishing to take action. 

Water facts:

• Water is existential: no life without water.

• Access to water and sanitation has been declared a human right.

• Water is the catalyst for sustainable development.

• Without clean water, diseases can spread more easily.

• Without clean water we have less food to feed the growing population.

• Without clean water girls can go to school less often.

• Water is of crucial importance: there is a shortage of water in more and more places, as witnessed by the droughts last year. At the same time, in some places there is too much water with flooding and tidal waves.

• A quarter of the world's population – two billion people – uses unsafe sources of drinking water.

• Half of humanity – 3.6 billion people – lives without safely managed sanitation.

• More than 80% of wastewater ends up in the environment without being treated or reused.

• Nearly three-quarters of all recent disasters are water-related and have caused economic damage of nearly $700 billion over the past 20 years.

• Biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate: water security can reverse this trajectory. About 35% of the world's wetlands were lost between 1970 and 2015, and the rate of loss has been accelerating annually since 2000, as they are among the world's most economically valuable ecosystems and essential regulators of global climate.

• Two-thirds of our rivers are shared, all our aquifers are shared, working on water requires a community-wide approach, so working together across borders, silos, sectors, and scales.