The water footprint of a product is defined as the volume of freshwater used to produce the product 11. The water footprint is an indicator of water use that looks at both direct and indirect water use of a consumer or producer. This study quantifies and maps the water footprint wf of humanity at a high spatial resolution. Footprint definition is an impression of the foot on a surface. Water footprint of the banana industry world banana forum. First, new standards are now provided to address ecological footprint assessments for products and organizations sections iii and iv. An indicator of both direct and indirect water use by a consumer or producer. Water footprint simple english wikipedia, the free. The water footprint of wood for lumber, pulp, paper, fuel and firewood. Water balance of global aquifers revealed by groundwater. Water footprint simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The concepts of water footprint and virtual water gdrc.
This manual presents a scientifically rigorous method to help companies understand their dependency and impact on global water resources, and offers guidance on response strategies that conserve water for industry, communities, and nature. Only air and soil emissions that impact water quality are included in the assessment, and not all air and soil emissions are included. The virtual water concept has received increased interest in policy circles, development agencies and the private sector in the past 10 years. The water footprint of wood for lumber, pulp, paper, fuel and. The water footprint is the amount of water consumed by human activity as well as the assimilation capacity used the ability of a body of water to cleanse itself. Background materials can be freely downloaded from. Hoekstra from the unescoihe institute for water education, now at wwfuk.
Direct and virtual water footprint sedona recycles. While our water footprints are expanding, climate change is exacerbating water scarcity in many parts of the. Whereas reporting is within the scope of iso 14046. The water footprint assessment manual water footprint network. Corporate water accounting an analysis of methods and tools for. International virtual water flows are estimated based on trade in. A water footprint is the amount of freshwater used by individuals, groups or companies in order to make goods or provide services used by the community. Water footprint wf is an indicator showing the total volume of freshwater consumption of a product or process. Nov 05, 2014 the internal water footprint is the water use within the country in so far it is used to produce goods and services consumed by the national population. Recent research has shown that about 4 % of the water footprint of humanity relates to water use at home hoekstra and mekonnen 2012. Hoekstra from unescoihe as an alternative indicator of water use. The total volume of fresh water used by an individual, a household, a business, a community or a country, internal footprint all the water used inside a country. In fact there is a lot of energy embedded in our water, and our water use has a massive carbon footprint due to pumping, treating, and heating.
A water footprint is an indicator that looks at both the direct and indirect water use of an individual, business, community, city or country direct water use refers to the water we see coming out of the tap. The total water footprint of a consumer or producer refers, by definition, to both the direct and the indirect water use of this consumer or producer. A measure of the amount of freshwater used by a person, organization or state in a given time. Despite criticisms, water footprint has certainly proven to be a useful concept and it is heartening to see the continued growth of water footprint research. Your water footprint reveals the true cost of our lifestyle. A blue water footprint is the volume of water that has been sourced from surface or groundwater resources lakes, rivers, wetlands and aquifers and has either evaporated for example while irrigating crops, or been incorporated into a product or taken from one body of water and returned to another, or returned at a different time. The water footprint is an indicator of freshwater use that looks at both direct and indirect water use of a consumer or producer. But at the national level, this becomes complex the water footprint of a nation is equal to the use of domestic water resources, minus the.
Water footprint matters and china appears to have recognised this and is looking to reduce its virtual water dependency. Water footprint manual university of twente research information. For example, the use of the water footprint indicator volume of water used. The result of a water footprint assessment is a single value or a profile of impact indicator results. A comprehensive introduction to water footprints pseau. This water footprint may be a green water footprint rainwater consumed, blue water footprint volume of surface and groundwater consumed evaporated as a result of production of the product and gray water footprint meaning the volume of freshwater required to assimilate the load of.
Water footprinting water footprinting concept was developed by prof. The average american lifestyle is kept afloat by about 2,000 gallons of h2o a day. Water footprints are estimated per nation from both a production and consumption perspective. Most evidence has come from virtual water calculations which lack impact assessment and adequate consideration of the heterogeneity in livestock production. The water footprint of a consumer is the sum of its direct water use, i. Water footprint assessment, policy and practical measures in a specific. This study sought new evidence, using a recently developed life cycle impact assessment method for water use to assess six geographically defined. Water use in the livestock sector has featured in the debate about sustainable food systems. A global hectare is a common unit that encompasses the average productivity of all the biologically productive land and sea area in the world in a given year. In this lesson, students check their direct water use from faucets, baths, etc.
Footprint definition of footprint by merriamwebster. Iso 14046 water footprint principles, requirements and. Detailed definitions understanding key water stewardship. A life cycle assessment or an lca is used to determine the potential environmental impact of a particular product or process. Valueofwater researchreportseriesno water footprint. Iso 14046, the standard on water footprinting, was only released in 2014. Arjen hoekstra, university of twente netherlands water footprint manual freely available from the water footprint network. Water footprinting requires a detailed water modelling approach and the use of specialised impact assessment methods and data. A water footprint can be broken into three different subareas. With the growing diversity of land uses in rural areas agricultural, residential, recreational it is important to have tools that can provide objective information about air quality issues associated with livestock production. Water footprints and sustainable water allocation mdpi. The ecological footprint standards 2009 includes a number of substantial revisions to the previous 2006 edition. In contrast to other available water risk assessment tools, wfns water footprint assessment tool does not use the term water stress, but instead identifies waterchallenged regions sometimes referred to as hot spots based on water scarcity, water pollution levels, benchmarks, i. Nov 05, 2015 water footprinting water footprinting concept was developed by prof.
A water footprint is a way of assessing not only water use but potential environmental impacts related to water. These goods and services may be needed around the entire world. Based on the pure measure of water quantity used, the associated environmental impacts of both direct and indirect water use are of eminent importance to identify the life cycle based water footprint of corporations see kohler, 2008. As water footprint is a relatively recent concept, few studies have been published on the topic. The water footprint concept was introduced in 2002 by a. A water footprint is the amount of fresh water used to produce the goods and services we consume, including growing, harvesting, packaging, and shipping. Consumption based like a carbon footprint but quite different to calc. But at the national level, this becomes complex the water footprint of a nation is equal to the use of domestic water resources, minus the virtual water export flows, plus the virtual water import flows. Tools such as the water footprint and lca are available, but their interpretation by policy makers has to be refined. Lifecycle thinking and personal carbon footprint gelfand. Theres plenty that chemical engineers can do professionally, but individuals can also pitch in and do their part. Water use is an essential environmental indicator for all activities in the product life cycle.
The water footprint of an individual, community or business is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or. From longman dictionary of contemporary english water footprint. The external water footprint of a country is the annual volume of water resources used in other countries to produce goods and services imported into and consumed in the country considered. In the banana industry, water management practices have significantly reduced its water footprint, defined as the measure of the consumption and contamination of freshwater resources for the production of a good or service 3. This concept is analogous to the ecological footprint of a nation, a. Inventory boundaries of water footprint sustainability assessment. The internal water footprint is the water use within the country in so far it is used to produce goods and services consumed by the national population. Footprint standard covers a comprehensive set of definitions and methods for water. Iso 14046 environmental management water footprint a practical guide for smes cover iso 14046 water footprint a practical guide for smes dd 4 20170804 08. Virtual water is the amount of embedded water in a commodity required to produce, package and ship the commodity to consumers. A water footprint is an illustrative tool to measure total freshwater consumption for countries, states, counties, cities, organizations, or even a single person. The water footprint is an indicator of freshwater use that looks not only at direct water use of a consumer or producer, but also at the indirect water use. The water footprint of wood for lumber, pulp, paper, fuel. The water footprint of a business consists of its direct water.
It reports on consumptive use of rainwater green wf and ground and surface water blue wf and volumes of water polluted gray wf. The water footprint of an individual, community or business is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the. Water footprint of crops university of twente research information. Blue water concept is defined as the amount of exploited surface and groundwater. The concept was refined and accounting methods were established with a series of publications from two lead authors a. The water footprint of a product a commodity, good or service is the volume of freshwater used to produce the product, measured at the place where the product was actually made. Water footprint definition of water footprint by medical. And bs iso 14046 can be conducted and reported as a standalone assessment where only potential environmental impacts related to water are assessed or as part of a life cycle assessment where consideration is given to all relevant potential environmental impacts, and not only. Nov 30, 2011 water use in the livestock sector has featured in the debate about sustainable food systems. International virtual water flows are estimated based on. Pdf the water footprint assessment manual researchgate. The water footprint assessment manual is an extremely valuable tool and standard methodology that we hope will be widely adopted by governments, nonprofits, corporations, and watershed managers to ensure the sustainability of producing various goods and services in various locations and to accurately report water use and management information. Water footprint is an indicator showing the consumption impact on environment withwater equivalent, which allows a detailed quantification of water use directly and. Water footprint of the banana industry world banana.
At the individual level, this is expressed in litres. This study sought new evidence, using a recently developed life cycle impact assessment method for water use to assess six. Water and energy are linked, and both are related to climate change. Glossary virtual water content the virtual water content of a product a commodity, good or service is the volume of freshwater used to produce the product, measured at the place where the product was actually produced productionsite definition.
The methodology for calculating a water footprint has been available for some time now, but the first regionalised inventory database has only just been released. It is not only measures the water we use from the tap, but the hidden water used to produce our food, energy, clothes, cars and other items. Water footprint of an animal sum of water for feed, drinking and servicing water footprint of a crop or livestock product distribute the water footprint of the root product over its derived products the water footprint m3ton of primary crops can be calculated as the crop water use at field level m3ha divided by the crop yield tonha. The water footprint of an individual, community or business is defined as the total volume of freshwater used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business.
Detailed definitions understanding key water stewardship terms. Biologically productive areas include cropland, forest and fishing grounds, and do not include deserts, glaciers and the open ocean. Now, all the building blocks to calculate a proper water footprint are available in simapro. Water is a precious resource that must be conserved globally by all sectors of the economy, including agriculture and thus livestock farming. The water footprint of a product is defined as the total volume of. Take our quick quizzes to practise your vocabulary. The water footprint tracks the volume of virtual water used by a population, where virtual water is the volume of freshwater used to produce a commodity, good or.
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