Towards Sustainable Water Use:

How can Water Footprint Assessment Help?

Dr. Guoping Zhang

Water Footprint Network

www.waterfootprint.org

Aug. 29, 2012 WWW Stockholm

Content

- Introduction

- Water Footprint Assessment

- The WFA Tool

- Application of the WFA Tool

Sustainable Water Use and Management

Drivers for improving corporate water sustainability

- Water use efficiency

- Water related risks

- Corporate social responsibilities

Why Water Footprint?

Water Stewardship

Regional water withdrawal sustainability as per the catchment area and work with communities for sustainable management of local

watersheds

Water Sustainability Strategies

• From operations to supply-chain thinking.

• Shifting focus from water withdrawals to consumptive water use.

• From securing the ‘right to abstract & emit’ to assessing the full range of

economic, social and environmental impacts of water use in space and

time.

• From meeting emission standards to managing grey water footprint.

Water Footprint Assessment (WFA)

• strategy &

decision making

• accounting &

reporting/discloure

- Local (operations)

- Global (supply-

chains)

• Direct WF

(operational WFs)

• Indirect WF

(supply-chain WFs)

- Green WF

- Blue WF

- Grey WF

• Environmental

(EFRs)

• Social (human

needs and fariness)

• Economic

(efficiency and

B&C)

• Within fenceline

• supply-chain

• Watershed(s)

• Business sector

User-friendly web-based tool: expand the use of Water Footprint Assessment by lowering the barrier

Consistent and robust: based on the integrated and holistic methodological framework (WFA) and best available data

Useful aid in your pathway towards water stewardship (sustainability, efficiency and equitability)

Free access and applicable for companies, governments, investors, consultants etc..

Water Footprint Assessment Tool

Water Footprint Assessment Tool

Tool Options

Tool Highlights

Geographic WFA

Production WFA

Application of the WFA Tool

Tool Highlights Explore the water footprint in a

river basin of your interest.

Discover the water footprint per sector.

Find out where and when there is water scarcity.

Application of the WFA Tool

Geographic WFA

Explore in detail the water footprint in a river basin. Assess the sustainability of the water footprint in this basin. Identify ways to reduce the water footprint in the basin

Application of the WFA Tool

Production WFA

Quantify and map the operational and supply-chain water footprint.

Assess the sustainability of

your facility's or product’s water footprint.

Identify ways to reduce the

water footprint / increase product water efficiency.

Product Water Footprint Company A (m3/ton)

0 0

5 6 6

00 2 3

4 53

6

2

1116

3 33

1

1

2

1,31 1,74 2,24 2,54 2,68 2,97 3,133,98

4,73 5,20 5,776,71 7,31

18,42

23,35

0

5

10

15

20

25

Prod

2

Prod

3

Prod

4

Prod

5

Prod

6

Prod

7

Prod

8

Prod

9

Prod

10

Prod

11

Prod

12

Prod

13

Prod

14

Prod

15

Prod

16

Direct Raw Materials Energy Packaging Material Total

Water Footprint Product A

0,48 0,39 0,15

3,503,35

3,46

3,983,74

3,61

0

0,5

1

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

4

4,5

2009-10 2010-11 2011-12Fiscal Year

Wa

ter

Foo

tpri

nt

(m3

/to

n)

Direct Indirect Total

Mission: promoting

sustainable, equitable and

efficient water use through

development of shared

standards on water footprint

assessment and guidelines

for the reduction of water

footprints and mitigation of

the impacts.

Network: bringing together

expertise from academia,

businesses, civil society,

governments and

international organisations.

The Water Footprint Network