Professional Documents
Culture Documents
4
Water: what is the problem?
"There is a water crisis today. But the crisis is not about
having too little water to satisfy our needs. It is a crisis of
managing water so badly that billions of people - and the
environment - suffer badly."
World Water Council
3900 children die every day from water borne
diseases
5
Water quantity issues
Better accounting of
water within the August
Launch of the Although existing
since a long time,
becomes more and
Start of ISO more important
CDP Water
14’046 work
Questionnaire
Launch of the
WULCA,
WF Framework
(c) Quantis
The water footprint stream:
Initiatives and timeline
Draft 3 Tool released
and functional Value of water
Water valuation
Release of one of the most Guidelines AWS Water Stewardship Standard
extensive WF database on crops Certification system to be ready by
end 2014
(c) Quantis
As Kelvin said…
12
Life Cycle approach: a global view
13
http://www.linkcycle.com
Mid-point – damage conventional framework
Pesticide
SO2
Cu
CO2
Phosphate
…
Irrigation
Water
Crude Oil
Iron Ore
…
Electric car: Better or Worst?
Irrigation Acidification
Water
Eutrophication
Crude Oil Resources
Iron Ore Land use
…
Biotic ressource use
Abiotic ressouce use
Jolliet 2004, Life cycle initiative
Comparison of alternatives
17
Source: © CIRAIG 2013, used with permission
Food packaging: Angel or
Demon?
VS
18
Source: © CIRAIG 2013, used with permission
Individual packaging: Angel or
Demon?
VS
19
Source: © CIRAIG 2013, used with permission
Innovations stemming from life
cycle thinking
20
Source: © CIRAIG 2013, used with permission
Environmental labeling
Type III
Type II Type I
(ISO 14025)
(ISO 14021) (ISO 14024)
Environmental
Self-declared claims Ecolabels
product declaration
• Established by the • Life Cycle thinking based • Life Cycle Assessment based
manufacturer
• Points to best alternative in • Analogy: Nutritional facts
• Usually based on a single a product category
• Third party verified
environmental criteria
• Threshold criteria
• Registered trademark
• No verification
• Third party verified
• No threshold criteria
• Example: “recycled content,
biodegradable”
80%
Source: © CIRAIG 2013, used with permission 21
Environmental labeling
22
22
Source: © CIRAIG 2013, used with permission
Apple
http://www.apple.com/environment/
23
Source: © CIRAIG 2013, used with permission
LCA vs Water Footprint
24
From inventory, to risk, to impacts…
Inventory
of water
use and
emissions
Water-
related
WATER
Toxicity
Pollution
Resource
Availability
problems Acidification
(midpoint)
FOOTPRINT
Eutrophication
Water-
related
damages (or [DALY / y] [PDF-m2-y / y] [MJ / y]
endpoint)
(c) Quantis 25
Types of water
footprint metrics and
assessments
26
Water Footprint Network (WFN)
A Volumetric Approach:
Blue water
Green water
Grey water
27
Water Footprint components (WFN)
29
ISO 14046 WATER FOOTPRINT
IMPORTANT CONCEPTS
–Should be life-cycle based
–Could be “stand-alone” or part of a full Life Cycle
Assessment
30
Water Footprint types as per ISO 14046
Water Water
availability degradation
MIDPOINT
Profile of -Water scarcity footprint -Human toxicity
OR -Ecotoxicity
midpoint - Water availability -Eutrophication
indicators footprint -Acidification
ENDPOINT
Human health - Malnutrition and/or Human toxicity
water related diseases
Water
Carbon
Degradation
Footprint
Footprint
Water
Water Availability
Footprint Footprint
Reduced water
Reduced water Reduced water
availability from
availability from availability from
consumption
consumption and consumption and
degradation + direct degradation 32
pollution impacts
ISO 14’046 and WFN
Impact pathway Framework for
Freshwater use
LCA of backup Areas of
technology protection
Socio- Malnutrition
economic Human Health
assessment
Water-related diseases
Water Inventory
Change of
water
availability
(Scarcity/
Stress) Ecosystems
Resources
(Future
generations)
34
Bayart et al, 2010
Detailed impact pathways
36
From inventory, to risk, to impacts…
Acidification
Eutrophication
Toxicity
radiation
Land Use
Ionizing
37
From inventory, to risk, to impacts…
Water
Impacts from water pollution
Availability
Resources
Ecosystems
Land Use
Ionizing
Human
Health
Toxicity
38
From inventory, to risk, to impacts…
Water Availability
Impacts from water pollution
Footprint
Water Footprint impacts
Water Footprint
Assessment Profile
All other LCA impacts not
related to water
Human Ecosystems Resource
Health s
39
KNOWLEDGE REVIEW 1
1 How can doing a water footprint help your organization?
2 What are the main issues associated with the water
resource?
3 What is the difference between a midpoint and an
endpoint in LCA?
4 What decisions can an LCA help you with?
5 What are the 3 areas of protection identified in LCA?
6 What is the difference between impacts from water use
and impacts on the water resource?
7 What types of impacts are caused by water pollution?
8 What is the main difference between the Water
Footprint Network methodology and a life cycle-based
water footprint?
40
STEPS OF A WATER FOOTPRINT
41
Goal and Scope
42
Water Footprint Inventory
The Life Cycle Perspective
43
Water Footprint Inventory
Useful definitions
Drainage basin:
Area from which direct surface runoff from precipitation drains by gravity into a
stream or other water body (ISO DIS 14046)
Water Withdrawal:
Anthropogenic removal of water from any water body or from any drainage basin ,
either permanently or temporarily (ISO DIS 14046)
Water Consumption
Water removed from but not returned to the same drainage basin (ISO DIS 14046)
Elementary water flow
Water entering the system being studied and that has been drawn from the
environment, or water leaving the system being studied that is released into the
environment (ISO DIS 14046)
Technosphere water flow
Water embedded in the system being studied and that has been drawn from the
environment at some previous stage in the product system
44
Water Footprint Inventory
45
Image source: Water Footprint Network
Water balance for consumptive
water use
water IN = water OUT
ecoinvent version 3
water, to air
ground water
water, to water (surface, ground,
tap water etc.)
activity
irrigation, etc.
technosphere
biosphere
150
71 27
100 22
50 92 82
0
27
-50 Surface Ground Cooling water Water Thermally Consumed
water water withdrawal released polluted water water
released
(c) Quantis
Pork water inventory – Feed mix
154 71 160
100
9
Litre / kg meat
140 Oat
Chaux
80 120
Torrefied soya beans
Red Gru
100
60 Oatmeal
49 82
80 Corn grain
Methionine
40 60 Barley
Canola
15 40
Soya
20
20
11
0 0
Feed mix by Water Water Consumed
weight withdrawal released water
Percentage
(c) Quantis
A t-shirt – Example of Switcher
• Environmental labelling of Switcher products
– Carbon footprint – climate change
– Water footprint – water consumption and associated impacts
(c) Quantis
Cultivation
Factory
(c) Quantis
Water Footprint Inventory
6,700
km²
51
Data sources and database
• + Other publications
(c) Quantis
KNOWLEDGE REVIEW 2
1 What is a water footprint inventory?
2 Why is regionalization important in performing an
inventory?
3 What decision can a water inventory help you make?
4 What is the difference between an elementary flow and a
technosphere flow?
5 Does a water footprint inventory only contain water
flows? Explain.
6 What information is essential in a water footprint
inventory?
7 What is the difference between water withdrawal and
water consumption?
53
BREAK
54
STEPS OF A WATER FOOTPRINT
55
Problem (midpoint) impacts: availability
At this point, water scarcity or water availability indicators are
being used as generic midpoints for water consumption Endpoint
Midpoint in LCA,
Inventory
until ecosystem-specific
impacts midpoint become available. Impacts
Volume of water
WULCA’s
Inventory from development on the topic tois
Compensation processes presented at the end of
be obtained
compensation through
processes this training. compensation
Water-related
Volume of diseases effect per
Volume of Water deprived for m3 deprived (dom)
Socio- water
water Distribution domestic users
deprived
unavailable economic Impact on
Scarcity to other
of water Water deprived for causing Malnutrition effect per
deprivation agriculture para- health m3 deprived (agri)
human health
users meter
Water deprived for damages Malnutrition effect
fisheries
per m3 deprived
(fish)
Water Inventory Change in flow
(Surface water, Terrestrial species
quantity
Change in loss per m3
renewable
groundwater table deprived
Impact on
groundwater, Disruption Ecosystems
level Aquatic species
fossil of water Change in flow loss per m3
groundwater) balance regime deprived
Loss of water
quality
Overuse of
renewable water
Overuse bodies Impact on
assessment fossil groundwater Ressources
depletion Source: Boulay et al, 2013
56
Availability assessment
Can be associated with a midpoint assessment in LCA
Most methods are related to a water scarcity index
Withdrawal to availability ratios (WTA)
(Pfister et al. 2009; Ridoutt and Pfister 2010b; Frischknecht et al. 2006; Veolia 2011;
Milà i Canals et al. 2009)
Consumption to availability ratios (CTA)
(Boulay et al. 2011; Hoekstra et al. 2011).
Are used as a Characterization Factor (CF) to assess impacts from:
Water withdrawal
(Ridoutt and Pfister 2010b; Frischknecht et al. 2006; Veolia 2011),
Water consumption
(Boulay et al. 2011; Pfister et al. 2009 Hoekstra et al. 2011; Milà i Canals et al. 2009)
Water Degradation
(Hoekstra et al. 2011; Veolia 2010; Boulay et al. 2011).
57
Consumption-to-availability ratio
Problem (midpoint) impacts: quality
59
Example of application: Water
Footprint at the problem level
(midpoint)
60
Example: Water Footprint from a
load of laundry
SUPPLIERS MANUFACTURING USE END-OF-LIFE
Energy Water
Evaporation
Various European France
countries and
India Spain
France
61
Source: Boulay et al (2013b)
Methodology overview - Midpoint
Indicator Reference
Water Availability
Water 1 Scarcity Pfister et al.
Footprint 1 Boulay et al. Only
profile at 1 Swiss Eco-Scarcity
midpoint: 1 WFN, Hoekstra et al.
one
Water 1a Availability Boulay et al.
method
availability 1a Veolia Impact Index, needed
and water Bayart el al.
degradation Water Degradation
2 Eutrophication ReCiPe
3 Acidification Impact 2002+
4 Ecotoxicity USEtox
7.0E-03
water scarcity m3 world-equivalent impact unit for each
Sensitivity
6.0E-03 Analysis
4.0E-03
End-of-life: product Water Scarcity
3.0E-03
Use: heating energy and moving the indicators
drum
2.0E-03
Use: tap water
1.0E-03
Manufacturing
0.0E+00
Suppliers
-1.0E-03
100% End-of-life: packaging
90%
80%
End-of-life: product
70%
60%
50% Use: heating energy and
moving the drum
40%
30%
Water degradation 20%
Use: tap water
indicators 10%
Manufacturing
0%
Ecotox Eutrophication Acidification Human Tox
4.18E+00 1.21E-04 1.25E-03 8.14E-08 Suppliers
63
Scarcity vs availability
8.E-02
Good quality Ambient
End-of-life:
input water quality packaging
6.E-02
input water
End-of-life:
Results in m3 equiv.
4.E-02
product
2.E-02
Use: heating
energy and
0.E+00 moving the drum
Use: tap water
-2.E-02
-4.E-02 Manufacturing
-6.E-02
availability
availability
Scarcity
Stress
Stress
Suppliers
64
Source: Boulay et al (2013b)
KNOWLEDGE REVIEW 3
65
Damage (endpoint) impacts: availability
Inventory Midpoint Endpoint
impacts Impacts
Volume of
Inventory from water to be
compensation
Compensation processes obtained
processes through
compensation
Water-related
Water deprived diseases effect
Volume of for domestic Volume of per m3 deprived
water users water (dom)
Scarcity unavailable
Distribution
of water Water deprived
Socio- deprived
Malnutrition Impact on
economic causing
/stress to other
users
deprivation for agriculture parameter health
effect per m3 human
health
deprived (agri)
damages
Water deprived
Malnutrition
for fisheries
effect per m3
deprived (fish)
Loss of water
quality
Overuse of
renewable water
bodies Impact on
Overuse Ressources
fossil
assessment groundwater
depletion
66
Source: Boulay et al (2013a)
Human Health impact pathway
Water-related
Water deprived diseases effect
Volume of for domestic Volume of per m3 deprived
water users water (dom)
Scarcity unavailable
Distribution
of water Water deprived
Socio- deprived
Malnutrition Impact on
economic causing
/stress to other
users
deprivation for agriculture parameter health
effect per m3 human
health
deprived (agri)
damages
Water deprived
Malnutrition
for fisheries
effect per m3
deprived (fish)
Water
Inventory
(Surface water,
renewable
groundwater,
fossil
groundwater)
67
Human Health
Dependent on the level of human development
and economic welfare
Water use ultimately leads to an aggregated impact
on human health, generally expressed in disability-
adjusted life years (DALY)
Lack of freshwater for hygiene and ingestion (spread of
communicable diseases) (Motoshita et al. 2010b; Boulay et al.
2011b)
Water shortages for irrigation resulting in malnutrition (Pfister
et al. 2009; Motoshita et al. 2010a; Boulay et al. 2011)
Water shortage for freshwater fisheries resulting in loss of
productivity and food supply (Boulay et al. 2011b).
68
Human Health impact pathway
Flow quantity
Ecosystems impact pathways
(adapted from Kounina et al. 2012)
70
Example: Water Footprint from a
load of laundry
SUPPLIERS MANUFACTURING USE END-OF-LIFE
Energy Water
Evaporation
Various European France
countries and
India Spain
France
71
Source: Boulay et al (2013b)
Ecosystem Water Footprint
End-of-life: packaging
2.0E-03
End-of-life: product
1.5E-03 Use: heating energy and moving the drum
0.0E+00
Terrestrial species Groundwater level Aquatic species Ecotox Eutrophication Aquatic acidification Thermal pollution
Total:
3.58E-03 2.40E-04 2.22E-05 4.59E-03 4.76E-03 2.21E-05 4.97E-06
Terrestrial species Groundwater level Aquatic species Ecotox Eutrophication Aquatic acidification Thermal pollution
4.5E-07 1.6E-09
Original human health waterwater
footprint indicators Sensitivity analysis
4.0E-07
Human health footprint indicators Sensitivity analysis for water
1.4E-09
quality and trade effect
3.5E-07 1.2E-09 End-of-life: packagingEnd-of-life: packaging
Daly per load of laundry
Daly per load of laundry
3.0E-07
1.0E-09 End-of-life: product End-of-life: product
2.5E-07 Use: heating energy and
Use:moving
heatingthe drumand moving the drum
energy
8.0E-10
2.0E-07 Use: tap water Use: tap water
6.0E-10 Manufacturing
1.5E-07 Manufacturing
5.0E-08 2.0E-10
0.0E+00 0.0E+00
Human Tox E-Motoshita E-Motoshita agri E-Motoshita
E-Motoshita E-Pfister domE-Boulay
E-Pfister E-Boulay
distri E- Boulay distri E-distri
MargE-Boulay Boulay Marg
- E- BoulayE-Boulay distri - E-agri
Marg Motoshita Boulay Marg - Motoshita agri
agri dom no quality no quality no TE no quality
- no quality no TE
Boulay, A.-M., Bayart, J.-B., Bulle, C., Franceschini, H., Motoshita, M., Muñoz, I., Pfister, S., et al. (2013). Water impact assessment methods
analysis (Part B): Applicability for water footprinting and decision making with a laundry case study. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment,
Submitted.
73 Source: Boulay et al (2013b)
KNOWLEDGE REVIEW 4
1 How may water consumption affect human
health?
2 How are impacts from human health assessed
for water consumption in developed
countries?
3 What is the advantage of presenting results at
the endpoint?
4 What types of impacts on the ecosystems are
caused by water consumption?
5 What types of water footprint results can you
present if you go to the endpoint?
74
Examples
(until 3:45 pm)
75
Case study: Water scarcity and
water footprint of Intel
(c) Quantis
Intel case study: Importance to
assess impacts
(ml)
(ml-eq)
(c) Quantis
Intel case study: Water scarcity
footprint at the endpoint
(c) Quantis
Example of water inventory results
1 kg sugar cane cultivated in Brazil
(c) Quantis
Example of water footprint results
1 kg sugar cane cultivated in Brazil
quality
quantity
Human health impacts are dominated Ecosystem quality impacts are dominated by
by direct and indirect toxic emissions freshwater consumption (crop irrigation)
to environment Freshwater eutrophication (fertilisers) and
Little irrigation in Brazil ecotoxicity are also contributors (herbicides)
(c) Quantis
Example of water inventory results
1 kg maize cultivated in China
(c) Quantis
Example of water footprint results
1 kg maize cultivated in China
(c) Quantis
Danone – The water footprint of
bottled water
System studied: Evian bottled water
– Four different production sites assessed in this project
© Quantis. In process of being published. Please contact Quantis before citing any results from this study. (c) Quantis
Danone – Life cycle of a bottle
of water
• Packaging
Life cycle
• Bottling plant
• End-of-life
(packaging)
© Quantis. In process of being published. Please contact Quantis before citing any results from this study. (c) Quantis
Danone – Inventory analysis
Water Withdrawal Water Returned Bottling plant
Energy used at bottling plant
18 14.1 2.0 Packaging
1.0 Distribution
16 0.5 11.3
Energy and industrial and Use
4.9
processes use a lot of Packaging end-of-life
14
water A lot of water 4.7
L / litre of bottled water
© Quantis. In process of being published. Please contact Quantis before citing any results from this study. (c) Quantis
Overview of the results -
Ecosystem impacts (biodiversity)
Pollution of water is an important issue
(indirect pollutant emission to water
PET production happens in a A lot of industrial processes use from incineration at end of life)
water stress region electricity and thus turbined water
3.0E-03
/ litreof
of
5.0E-04
Primary packaging
Ecosystems
0.0E+00
Energy use at site
-5.0E-04
Water incorporated into product
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© Quantis. In process of being published. Please contact Quantis before citing any results from this study.
(c) Quantis
Engage with stakeholders to
reduce water footprint
(watershed level)
• Reducing water pollution using waste water treatment plants
– Reduction of 2’600’000 m3 of grey water at Evian watershed per year
– Engage with local villages and towns inside the watershed to support the
creation of waste water treatment plant
(c) Quantis
Inventory results
Agriculture
Sucre et arômes
Raw materials (supply chain)
Verre accounts for more than 99% of
water used
Electricité
Carton
(c) Quantis
Tools available and input
from practitioner
90
Tools
ETC…
(c) Quantis
Method development: the
WULCA working group of
the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle
Initiative
92
UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative
Water Use in LCA (WULCA)
Founded in 2007, now includes 100 experts from 21 countries
– Phase 1: Proposed a framework to evaluate water in LCA (Bayart et al. 2009)
– Phase 2: Review of different methods (Kounina et al. 2012)
– Phase 3: Quantitative comparison (Boulay et al A and B, under review)
Current mandate (2014-2015):
Guide the scientific development of a consensual and
operational method which shall be in line with both the
ISO Water Footprint Standard and the LCA principles
www.wulca-waterlca.org
Human
health Impact on
specific human health
midpoint
Stress-
Water Inventory based
(Surface water, generic
renewable
midpoint
groundwater,
fossil
Ecosystem
specific Impact on
groundwater) Ecosystems
midpoint
Resource
Impact on
specific
Resources
midpoint
SPONSORS
95
References
Please visit:
http://wulca-waterlca.org/publications
96
Anne-Marie Boulay, Ph.D.
CIRAIG – École Polytechnique de Montréal
97 anne-marie.boulay@polymtl.ca