Sustainable hydration and zero waste: the commitment of Aigües de Barcelona, from the Veolia group, at MWC

Aigües de Barcelona, part of the Veolia group, a leader in water management for almost 160 years and a company committed to preserving the health of the environment and people, has been working for some time to contribute to the sustainability of the metropolitan area. Thus, it collaborates in major sporting, cultural, and technological events in order to reduce their environmental impact while promoting sustainable hydration.

For the 2026 edition, Aigües de Barcelona has expanded its participation in the Mobile World Congress with new initiatives. The company has installed 34 refrigerated water fountains under the concept "The Water Pause", distributed in 9 different locations within the venue. Each fountain had a QR code that allowed attendees to locate the other hydration points. As a novelty, 10,000 reusable bottles were distributed at the south entrance to encourage hydration. Likewise, the company has digitally disseminated the environmental impacts avoided by consuming water from the fountains; in this way, the data on the volume of tap water supplied, the waste savings achieved, and the environmental footprint avoided have been made known, through screens installed throughout the venue.

Aigües de Barcelona has also participated in the "Airport of the Future" zone, with the installation of a space that combines hydration, thermal comfort, and well-being through sustainability. The space, based on the concept "Smart water for sustainable airports", featured a vertical garden, a smart fountain integrated into the furniture, and a rest area.

In addition to the Mobile World Congress, Aigües de Barcelona has collaborated in other major metropolitan events such as the Conde de Godó Trophy and the America's Cup. On these occasions, the company installed fountains and also carried out carbon footprint monitoring and offered advice for reducing the water footprint. The company has also installed refreshment points in major popular races in Barcelona to avoid the use of single-use plastics, such as the Barcelona Half Marathon, the Jean Bouin, the Cursa El Corte Inglés, the Cursa Bombers de Barcelona, the Cros Challenge of the Barcelona School Council, or the CEM de la Mar Bella.

During 2025, Aigües de Barcelona installed fountains in a total of 27 events (13 sports races and 9 cultural events), reaching close to 600,000 attendees. Through the smart fountains installed in 9 sports and cultural events, the generation of more than 17,500 kg of CO2, about 1,750 kg of plastic, and more than 250,000 liters of water footprint was avoided.

In this way, the drinking water fountains installed at events prevent the generation of plastic waste in cities and guarantee hydration with tap water among the attending public, reinforcing Aigües de Barcelona's commitment to the sustainable development of the metropolitan area.