30 years of experience in water treatment in Poland – an Interview with President Wojciech Falkowski

Three decades ago, Ecol-Unicon began its journey, co-creating the foundations of modern water treatment in Poland. Today, we celebrate our 30th anniversary – a moment to reflect on how not only our company, but the entire industry has evolved over the years. In a conversation with the President of the Management Board, Wojciech Falkowski, we revisit the key stages of the company’s development, technological breakthroughs, and the challenges shaping water management today and in the years to come.

We invite you to read the interview.

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Good morning. I have a unique opportunity to talk about a milestone – not only for one company, but for the entire Polish water treatment sector. Thirty years ago, during the time of economic transformation, a company was founded that has permanently shaped the landscape of Polish environmental engineering. My guest is Wojciech Falkowski, President of the Management Board of Ecol-Unicon. Good morning, and congratulations on the anniversary.

Wojciech Falkowski: Good morning. There will be time for congratulations later – our anniversary is on June 21.

Ecol-Unicon uses the slogan “The Art of Water Treatment” and promises to act without compromise in the interest of the environment. That is a very ambitious declaration. From the perspective of these three decades, how do you define this mission today? How have its foundations evolved since the company was established?

Wojciech Falkowski: I really like the slogan “The Art of Water Treatment” because it represents a comprehensive approach to the environment. It is a bit like the art of cooking. It is not enough to prepare a great piece of meat and then add a completely mismatched sauce. In environmental protection, we must consider many aspects. It is not enough to have a wonderful, modern device if, a meter upstream or downstream, untreated wastewater or surface pollutants flow into the receiving body.

These 30 years are a long history – also a history of the industry’s development. We started our operations during major changes in water law, when the 1991 regulation redefined stormwater as wastewater that had to be retained and treated. At that time, the National Municipal Wastewater Treatment Program (KPOŚ) was also being implemented. Today, we observe a modern approach both to wastewater treatment and to stormwater retention and reuse. In line with our mission, we want to act without compromise, because only in a clean environment can society develop sustainably and gain health benefits – both physical and mental. Today, we measure our own carbon and water footprint to understand our impact on nature. This refusal to compromise motivates us to continuously improve.

Over the past 30 years, the company has delivered thousands of devices to the market, including pumping stations, separators, and retention tanks. This makes Ecol-Unicon both a witness to and a creator of technological transformation. How have standards changed since the 1990s, and where do you see the technological turning point in designing devices such as retention tanks?

Wojciech Falkowski: We distinguish two categories: technologies for stormwater retention and pre-treatment, and technologies for wastewater treatment. A retention tank, separator, or settling tank are relatively simple devices, and paradoxically not much has changed in this area over 30 years. However, today it is no longer enough to reduce only suspended solids and light pollutants such as petroleum derivatives or fats. We emphasize the very negative impact of heavy metals and microplastics on the environment, as they are highly harmful to biological life. This year, our 30th anniversary, we are focusing on solutions that remove these substances.

In wastewater treatment, on the other hand, there has been tremendous progress. We now have technologies that allow treated wastewater to be reused for irrigation, in industrial installations, and even for recreational purposes. This may seem controversial, but after proper treatment and light disinfection, we can obtain clean water – often cleaner than the receiving body into which it is discharged. In Poland, the main receiving bodies are rivers, their tributaries, and the Baltic Sea. The condition of coastal beaches is proof of improvement. I personally remember how, 30 years ago, beaches in the Tri-City area were closed due to bacteriological contamination from stormwater and wastewater discharged into the Vistula River or local streams. Today, this problem practically no longer exists, although we still struggle with eutrophication and cyanobacteria in the Gulf of Gdańsk – but that is another story.

Alongside traditional concrete and steel solutions, digitalization is now revolutionizing the industry in the face of climate change and extreme weather events. How does this affect water management?

Wojciech Falkowski: Weather used to be more stable and predictable. Today, extreme events affect us strongly, especially heavy rainfall. It has become crucial to know how much water will fall in a given area, how quickly it will flow into the receiving body, and what retention and treatment products should be selected to manage stormwater systems optimally. Rainfall can be very intense in one part of a city and absent just a few kilometers away. The WaterFolder Platform helps manage stormwater systems, and designers are eager to use it.

Digitalization involves systems collecting data on water quantity and quality and on the condition of receiving bodies such as rivers or the Gulf of Gdańsk. Thanks to this, we can consciously control retention and storm overflows, better managing the state of the aquatic environment. We cannot predict an extreme rainfall event that occurs once every 500 years, but we can warn communities and prepare for flash floods. Many cities are already seeing the benefits.

Most of the challenges in water management are addressed by the new Wastewater Directive currently being implemented. I hope its adoption will help us avoid disasters like those we have experienced in recent years. I am referring to the ecological disaster in the Oder River and the drying up of certain river tributaries. We urgently need in-depth analysis of environmental data to prevent such tragedies, and digitalization greatly supports us in this regard.

Ecol-Unicon is an engineering company, but technology would be nothing without people. Is narrow specialization or a multidisciplinary approach more important today?

Wojciech Falkowski: Both are necessary. A solid technical education is essential, as this knowledge is lacking in the industry. Young people often complete their university education too early, frequently at the bachelor’s level. From the industry’s perspective, we would like graduates who think broadly and understand the environmental impact of their actions. This knowledge should exist on both sides of the investment process – in companies implementing technologies and in investors who operate facilities such as treatment plants, retention systems, or management platforms. Environmental knowledge and awareness are crucial for effective water treatment.

Multidisciplinarity is especially important for management. Leaders should understand the natural water cycle and its impact on society. One of the foundations of management is selecting people who can work effectively as a team. With well-educated engineers, technicians, production workers, technical supervisors, and monitoring and management systems, we can strive toward a better world.

How does cooperation with academia support this knowledge? And how does this comprehensive approach translate into a business model that includes consulting, production, and service?

Wojciech Falkowski: We have dedicated departments responsible for production, sales, service, investment execution, and operation. Knowledge exchange is essential, so we cooperate closely with scientific institutions, including my alma mater – Gdańsk University of Technology – as well as other universities and business schools.

My vision for the company’s development is tied to having a real impact on environmental cleanliness – especially water, which is the greatest resource on our planet. People can survive without electricity or heating, as we see today in Ukraine. It is difficult and cold, but they continue to fight, and they deserve respect. Without water, however, a human being can survive only a few days. Water is the source of all development, and I deeply feel the importance of what we do. We strive to educate broadly so that we can speak the same language as our investors, partners, and even competitors. And this is happening.

Ecol-Unicon is known not only as a manufacturer of devices, but also for its active educational efforts. The company runs an educational blog and organizes webinars, actively sharing knowledge and experience. This represents an evolution from a technology supplier to a thought leader and trendsetter in the industry. How do you assess the change in environmental awareness among investors and local governments, and why does a technology company invest so heavily in knowledge sharing?

Wojciech Falkowski: The answer is quite simple. We share knowledge because it is in our interest – both business-wise and from a purely human and environmental perspective. It is easier to negotiate with a partner who understands environmental challenges and modern technologies. Otherwise, we would need a special dictionary just to explain what a separator or decarbonization is. That is why, among other initiatives, I founded the Business for Climate Foundation, to educate as broad a part of society as possible. We support the Interuniversity Climate Academy and postgraduate studies in Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, conducted within the Fahrenheit Universities Association. We also organize the Baltic Nuclear Energy Forum, which places us close to clean energy solutions. We know that our actions benefit all of us – both locally and globally. And to be honest, we also generate revenue from this broad knowledge by selling our solutions and implementing the best technologies we can afford.

What are currently the biggest challenges facing the water and wastewater sector in Poland in the face of the climate crisis?

Wojciech Falkowski: I am convinced that the greatest challenge is clear and unambiguous legislation. Our water management law changes from time to time. As I mentioned earlier in this conversation, we are waiting for the new Wastewater Directive, and I would like it to be enforced. We must strictly adhere to the principle of “first, do no harm.” Another challenge is the lack of reliable determination of the environmental costs of large investments, preferably expressed in monetary terms. We should calculate the negative impact, for example, of power plants, industrial facilities, airports, highways, or rapidly developing cities on society. Examples of disregarding environmental costs include mines and the discharge of saline mine water (the disaster in the Oder River), as well as cities and the discharge of untreated wastewater through storm overflows (the poor condition of most rivers). If we focus only on short-term profit, we will be sawing off the branch we are sitting on and living on. Hopefully, we will not fall.

In which direction, then, will Ecol-Unicon evolve to respond to these challenges? Can we expect even greater automation, the development of control systems, or perhaps a shift toward nature-inspired solutions?

Wojciech Falkowski: It will be both. Nature Based Solutions are generally cheaper to build and operate, and their effect may be broader. Ekol – the parent company of Ecol-Unicon – began its environmental activities precisely with natural treatment methods, both for surface runoff (including at the Gdańsk Zoo) and for municipal wastewater, where treatment was based on root-zone, reed-bed, and willow systems. I would add that after 30 years, many of these facilities are still operating thanks to proper maintenance. As for digitalization and management, this is a major challenge. These are costly solutions; nevertheless, under the highly variable conditions we face today and various extreme weather events, collecting data and supporting decision-making with algorithms (even artificial intelligence) to develop the best management methods is very important for making quick and correct decisions.

We are currently participating in the EU-funded DECIRE-WATER project, where we analyse the performance of a natural treatment plant versus a modern membrane wastewater treatment technology. The research is ongoing, and we cannot publish the results at this time. I am convinced that they will be promising for further technological development. We already see the first advantages and disadvantages of both technologies and how they could be improved for better and more efficient performance. This knowledge gives us grounds to state that if we have a complete set of correct data obtained online within several seconds, it becomes much easier for us to make proper environmental decisions.

What should we wish for Ecol-Unicon, for the entire water and wastewater sector in Poland for the coming decades, and what do you wish for yourself personally?

Wojciech Falkowski: Above all, that we do not stray from the path we have chosen. Today, we are in a rather difficult moment – we are facing a very challenging geopolitical situation related to wars, the consumer-oriented attitudes of some global leaders, and a growing number of climate change denial voices. The actions of Ecol-Unicon, for example those related to implementing ESG strategies, are currently not “profitable” and may cost us a loss of profitability. Therefore, I wish the entire sector perseverance and partnership in daily work for a clean environment. I would like those in power to create legal conditions for effective water treatment so that these activities no longer have to be an art, but a standard for each of us.

To my employees, I wish true work-life balance, so that in a balanced way they can enjoy both their work and its results, as well as time spent with their loved ones in a healthy and clean environment.

Thank you very much for the conversation.

Wojciech Falkowski: Thank you as well, with the hope that we are on the right path.

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