A Comprehensive Introduction to Water Footprints

Transcription

1 A Comprehensive Introduction to Water Footprints 2011 Arjen Y. Hoekstra Professor in Water Management University of Twente the Netherlands Scientific Director Water Footprint Network Overview - Fresh scarcity & pollution -The footprint of products -National footprint accounting -The footprint of a business -WF sustainability assessment -Response: reducing footprints -Water Footprint Network Fresh scarcity and pollution

2 Signs of global scarcity Strawberries for export Coto Doñana National Park, southern Spain Signs of global scarcity Cotton for export Former Aral Sea, Central Asia Signs of global pollution Devecser, Hungary, Oct. 5, 2010

3 Signs of global pollution The footprint of a product The footprint of a product the volume of fresh used to produce the product, summed over the various steps of the production chain. when and where the was used: a footprint includes a temporal and spatial dimension.

4 The footprint of a product Green footprint volume of rain evaporated or incorporated into product. Blue footprint volume of surface or ground evaporated, incorporated into product or returned to other catchment or the sea. Grey footprint volume of polluted. Components of a footprint Direct footprint Indirect footprint Water withdrawal Return flow Green footprint Blue footprint Green footprint Blue footprint Water consumption The traditional statistics on use Grey footprint Grey footprint Water pollution [Hoekstra et al., 2011] The green and blue footprint in relation to the balance of a catchment area Green footprint Blue footprint Precipitation Non production-related evapotranspiration Production-related evapotranspiration Water contained in products Production-related evapotranspiration Water contained in products Water transfer to other catchment Catchment area Abstraction Return flow Soil and vegetation Runoff at field level Ground- and surface Runoff from catchment [Hoekstra et al., 2011]

5 Assessing the blue and green process footprint of growing a crop Water footprint of growing a crop Crop use (m 3 /ha) / Crop yield (ton/ha) CWU green lgp = 10 ET d = 1 green CWU blue lgp = 10 ET d = 1 blue Crop use Green evapotranspiration = min (crop requirement, effective precipitation) Blue evapotranspiration = min (irrigation requirement, effective irrigation) Crop requirement 1. Calculate reference crop evapotranspiration ET 0 (mm/day) e.g. Penman-Monteith equation 2. Calculate crop evapotranspiration Et c (mm/day) Et c =ET 0 K c where K c = crop coefficient 3. Calculate crop requirement CWR (m 3 /ha) CWR = Σ Et c [accumulate over growing period]

6 Irrigation requirement Irrigation requirement = crop requirement effective rainfall Grey footprint volume of polluted fresh that associates with the production of a product in its full supply-chain. calculated as the volume of that is required to assimilate pollutants based on ambient quality standards. Production chain cotton Cotton seed Hulling/ extraction Cotton seed oil Cotton seed cake Cotton seed oil, refined Cotton plant Harvesting Seed-cotton Ginning Cotton linters Garnetted stock Cotton lint Cotton, not carded or combed Carding/ Spinning Cotton, carded or combed (yarn) Knitting/ weaving Grey fabric Yarn waste Wet processing Legend Product fraction Value fraction Fabric Finishing Final textile

7 [Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008] Water footprint of EU s cotton consumption (blue ) [Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008] Water footprint of EU s cotton consumption (green ) [Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

8 Water footprint of EU s cotton consumption (grey ) [Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008] The footprint: making a link between consumption in one place and impacts on systems elsewhere Shrinking Aral Sea The footprint: making a link between consumption in one place and impacts on systems elsewhere Endangered Indus River Dolphin [Photo: WWF]

9 This is a global average and aggregate number. Policy decisions should be taken on the basis of: 1. Actual footprint of certain coffee at the precise production location. 2. Ratio green/blue/grey footprint. 3. Local impacts of the footprint based on local vulnerability and scarcity. [Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008] [Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008] [Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

10 [Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008] [Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008] The footprint of a cow Food 1300 kg of grains (wheat, oats, barley, corn, dry peas, soybean, etc) 7200 kg of roughages (pasture, dry hay, silage, etc) 99% Water litres for drinking 7000 litres for servicing. 1% [Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

11 [Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008] [Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008] [Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

12 Grazing systems Water footprint: mostly green local Water footprint: green & blue local Mixed systems Water footprint: green & blue partly imported Industrial systems [Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

13 Water footprint of biofuels from different crops [litre/litre] [Gerbens-Leenes, Hoekstra & Van der Meer, 2009] Water footprint of a consumer Water footprint of a consumer the total volume of appropriated for the production of the goods and services consumed. equal to the sum of the footprints of all goods and services consumed. dimensions of a footprint volume where and when type of use: green, blue, grey

14 The total footprint of a consumer in the UK about 3% of your footprint is at home. 150 litre/day about 97% of your footprint is invisible, it is related to the products you buy in the supermarket litre/day for agricultural products 1100 litre/day for industrial products about 60 to 65% of your footprint lies abroad. Meat versus vegetarian diet Meat diet kcal/day litre/kcal litre/day Vegetarian diet kcal/day litre/kcal litre/day Industrial countries Animal origin Animal origin Vegetable origin Vegetable origin Total Total Developing countries Animal origin Animal origin Vegetable origin Vegetable origin Total Total National footprint accounting

15 Water footprint of national consumption total amount of that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the inhabitants of the nation. two components: internal footprint inside the country. external footprint in other countries. footprint of national consumption = footprint within the nation + virtual import virtual export National use accounting framework Internal footprint + + External footprint + = WF of national consumpt. + Consumption Water use for export + Virtual import for reexport = Virtual export Export = = = WF within nation + Virtual = import Virtual budget The traditional statistics on use, but then limited to withdrawals Production Import Country/region National footprint (Gm 3 /year) from the perspective of production from the perspective of consumption Australia Canada China Egypt EU India Japan Jordan USA Traditional statistics on use, but thenrestricted to withdrawal WF within a nation WF of national consumption [Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

16 Regional virtual balances (only agricultural trade) Arrows show trade flows >10 Gm 3 /yr [Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008] Water footprint per capita 3000 Domestic consumption Industrial goods Agricultural goods 2500 Water footprint (m 3 /cap/yr) Global average footprint 0 China India Japan Pakistan Indonesia Brazil Mexico Russia Nigeria Thailand Italy USA [Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008] Major determinants of the footprint of national consumption 1. Consumption characteristics Consumption volume Consumption pattern 2. Production circumstances Climate: evaporative demand at place of production Agricultural practice: use efficiency

17 The footprint of a business Water footprint: why businesses are interested Water risks for business Physical risk Reputational risk Regulatory risk Financial risk Water opportunity for business frontrunner advantage corporate image Corporate social responsibility Water footprint of a business Operational footprint the direct use by the producer for producing, manufacturing or for supporting activities. Supply-chain footprint the indirect use in the producer s supply chain.

18 Water footprint: what s new for business From operations to supply-chain thinking. Shifting focus from withdrawals to consumptive use. From securing the right to abstract & emit to assessing the full range of economic, social and environmental impacts of use in space and time. From meeting emission standards to managing grey footprint. The footprint of a consumer Farmer Virtual flow Food processer Virtual flow Retailer Virtual flow Consumer green and blue use grey blue use grey blue use grey blue use grey Indirect WF Direct WF [Hoekstra, 2008] The footprint of a retailer Farmer Virtual flow Food processer Virtual flow Retailer Virtual flow Consumer green and blue use grey blue use grey blue use grey blue use grey Supply chain WF Operational WF End-use WF of a product The traditional statistics on corporate use [Hoekstra, 2008]

19 The footprint of a food processor Farmer Virtual flow Food processer Virtual flow Retailer Virtual flow Consumer green and blue use grey blue use grey blue use grey blue use grey Supply chain WF Operational WF End-use WF of a product The traditional statistics on corporate use [Hoekstra, 2008] Water footprint of a business total volume of fresh that is used directly and indirectly to run and support a business. temporal and spatial dimension: when and where was the used. three components: green: volume of rain consumed. blue: volume of surface or ground consumed. grey : volume of polluted. Water footprint of a business Operational footprint Supply-chain footprint Water footprint directly associated with the production of the business s product(s) Overhead footprint Water footprint directly associated with the production of the business product(s) Overhead footprint Water incorporated into the product Water consumed or polluted through a washing process Water thermally polluted through use for cooling Water consumption or pollution related to use in kitchens, toilets, cleaning, gardening, or washing working clothes. Water footprint of product ingredients bought by the company Water footprint of other items bought by the company for processing their product Water footprint of infrastructure (construction materials etc.). Water footprint of materials and energy for general use (office materials, cars and trucks, fuels, electricity, etc.)

20 Water footprint Carbon footprint Water footprint measures fresh appropriation spatial and temporal dimension actual, locally specific values always referring to full supply-chain focus on reducing own footprint ( use units are not interchangeable) Carbon footprint measures emission GH-gasses no spatial / temporal dimension global average values supply-chain included only in scope 3 carbon accounting many efforts focused on offsetting (carbon emission units are interchangeable) Water footprint and carbon footprint are complementary tools. [Hoekstra et al., 2009] Water footprint Life cycle assessment Water footprint measures fresh appropriation multi-dimensional (type of use, location, timing) actual volumes, no weighing LCA measures overall environmental impact no spatial dimension weighing volumes based on impacts For companies, footprint assessment and LCA are complementary tools. WF assessment is a tool to support formulation of a sustainable management strategy in operations and supply chain. LCA is a tool to compare the overall environmental impact of different products. WF is a general indicator of use; application of WF in inventory phase of LCA is one particular application. [Hoekstra et al., 2009] Water footprint sustainability assessment

21 Water footprint assessment Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Setting goals and scope Water footprint accounting Water footprint sustainability assessment Water footprint response formulation [Hoekstra et al., 2011] Water footprint sustainability assessment Sustainability of the WFs of specific processes Sustainability of the cumulative footprints in different catchments Sustainability of the WFs of specific products Sustainability of the WF of a company Sustainability of the WF of a consumer Assessment of the sustainability of the footprint within a catchment Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Identification of the (environmental, social and economic) sustainability criteria Identification of hotspots (specific sub-catchments, periods of the year) Identification and quantification of the primary impacts in the hotspots Identification and quantification of the secondary impacts in the hotspots

22 Step 1 - Sustainability criteria Environmental Environmental flow requirements Environmental green requirements Ambient quality standards Social Basic human needs min. drink-, food security, employm. Rules of fairness fair allocation, user & polluter principle Economic Efficient allocation and use of Step 2 - Hotspots Environmental sustainability criteria: Green footprint < available green Blue footprint < available blue Grey footprint < available assimilation capacity Environmental sustainability criterion: Blue footprint < blue availability m 3 /s Environmental flow requirement, met Environmental flow requirement, not met Blue availability Blue footprint Blue availability Runoff (under undeveloped conditions) 40 Runoff Environmental flow requirement 10 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Blue Oct Nov scarcity: Dec WFblue[,] xt WSblue[,] xt = WAblue[,] xt

23 Environmental flow requirements 1. Catchment level 2. Monthly basis 3. Generic rule of thumb: EFR = 80% of natural runoff, on a monthly basis. 4. Use data from generic global methodology, but replace when better studies give better local estimates Environmental sustainability criterion: Grey footprint < available assimilation capacity Grey footprint < runoff Assimilative capacity not fully used Grey footprint = runoff Full assimilative capacity of the river used Grey footprint > runoff Pollution exceeding the assimilative capacity of the environment Steps 3-4 Primary and secondary impacts Primary impacts Changes to hydrology Changes to quality Secondary impacts Effects on abundance of certain species Effects on biodiversity Effects on human health Effects on employment Effects on distribution of welfare Effects on income in different sectors of economy

24 Data derived from the product Example of how to assess the extent to which the footprint of a product is sustainable Check geographic Check Check Check sustainability sustainability relevance whether of the of the process from product response is footprint account process in itself Conclusion perspective required Is this a Fraction of Can the sustainable the product Catchment Water footprint be component in in which the footprint (m 3 Is the reduced or the product footprint that Share above Is this a Process process is per unit of catchment a avoided is not threshold of priority step located final product) hotspot? altogether? footprint? sustainable one percent component? 1 A 45 no no yes yes no B 35 yes yes no 35% yes yes 2 A 10 no no yes yes no C 6 no no yes yes no 3 D 2 yes no no 2% yes yes E 1.1 no yes no 1.1% yes yes 4 F 0.5 yes no no 0.5% no no 5 A 0.3 no no yes no no 6 A 0.1 no yes no 0.1% no no total % Global map of where a product or corporate footprint is located Global hotspot map Overlay Unsustainable components of the product/corporate footprint Global footprint of a business located in the Netherlands Hotspot map Water stress (withdrawal-to-availability) < Main producing regions Producing countries > 1.0 Unsustainable components of the business footprint Water stress (withdrawal-to-availability) < > 1.0 Main producing regions Hotspots

25 Water footprint response Shared responsibility and an incremental approach Consumers or consumer or environmental organizations push businesses and governments to address use and impacts along supply chains. Some businesses act voluntarily in an early stage, driven by consumers or investors. Governments promote businesses in an early phase and implement regulations in a later phase. Governments, companies, consultants and accountants use same standard definitions and calculation methods. International cooperation, through UN and other institutions. The ultimate perspective Green WF Agriculture Decrease green footprint (m 3 /ton) by increasing green productivity (ton/m 3 ) in both rain-fed and irrigated agriculture. Increase total production from rain-fed agriculture. Industry Not relevant. Blue WF Grey WF Decrease blue footprint (m 3 /ton) by increasing blue productivity (ton/m 3 ) in irrigated agriculture. Decrease ratio blue/green footprint. Decrease global blue footprint (e.g. by 50%). Reduced use of artificial fertilisers and pesticides; more effective application. Grey footprint can go to zero through organic farming. Zero blue footprint: no losses through evaporation full recycling only blue footprint related to the incorporation of into a product cannot be avoided. Zero grey footprint: no pollution full recycling, recapturing heat from heated effluents and treatment of remaining return flows.

26 Priorities in footprint reduction Non-hotspots Hotspots Little reduction potential Large reduction potential Water footprint reduction and offsetting Reduce: Reduce by avoid: do not undertake -using activities altogether. Reduce by improved production: replace one technique by another technique that results in a lower or even zero footprint Offset: Compensate the residual footprint by making a reasonable investment in establishing or supporting projects that aim at a sustainable, equitable and efficient use of in the catchment where the residual footprint is located. Stop waste of blue Towards precision irrigation Full recycling in industries

27 Make better use of green Increase productivity in rain-fed agriculture Grey footprint zero Towards organic farming Towards zero emission Reducing humanity s footprint Consumers Reduction of the direct footprint: saving toilet, shower-head, etc. Reduction of the indirect footprint: Save in the supermarket substitution of a consumer product that has a large footprint by a different type of product that has a smaller footprint; substitution of a consumer product that has a large footprint by the same product that is derived from another source with smaller footprint. Ask product transparency from businesses and regulation from governments

28 Transparency along the supply chain Feed crop cultivation Indirect footprint Livestock farming Indirect footprint Food processor Indirect footprint Retailer Indirect footprint Consumer Direct footprint Direct footprint Direct footprint Direct footprint Direct footprint Reducing humanity s footprint Companies Shared terminology & calculation standards Product transparency footprint reporting / disclosure labelling of products certification of businesses Quantitative footprint reduction targets benchmarking Reducing humanity s footprint Companies Reduction of the operational footprint: saving in own operations. Reduction of the supply-chain footprint: influencing suppliers; changing to other suppliers; transform business model in order to incorporate or better control supply chains.

29 Reducing humanity s footprint Investors Reduce risk of investments: physical risk formed by shortages or pollution. risk of damaged corporate image regulatory risk financial risk Demand accounting and substantiated quantitative footprint reduction targets from companies. [Morrisonet al., 2009; Pegram et al, 2009; Hoekstra et al., 2011] Reducing humanity s footprint Government Embed footprint assessment in national policy making. Promote coherence between and other governmental policies: environmental, agricultural, energy, trade, foreign policy. Reduce the own organizational footprint: reduce the footprint of public services. Promote product transparency support or force businesses to make annual footprint accounts and to implement footprint reduction measures. e.g. through promoting a label for -intensive products; e.g. through -certification of businesses. International cooperation international protocol on pricing minimum rights tradable footprint permits -labelling of -intensive products -certification of industries and retailers international nutrient housekeeping shared guidelines on -neutrality for businesses

30 The Water Footprint Network The Water Footprint Network Mission: Promoting sustainable, equitable and efficient use through development of shared standards on footprint accounting and guidelines for the reduction and offsetting of impacts of footprints. Network: bringing together expertise from academia, businesses, civil society, governments and international organisations. The Water Footprint Network Founding partners (16 October 2008): International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group) Netherlands Water Partnership UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education University of Twente Water Neutral Foundation World Business Council for Sustainable Development WWF-the global conservation organization

31 The Water Footprint Network Current partners partners from six continents universities & research institutions governmental institutions non-governmental organisations large companies medium and small companies branche organisations consultants accountants international institutions Work programmewater Footprint Network (1) Technical work programme Water footprint assessment methodology Data and statistics Tools and materials, incl. Water footprint assessment tool Policy work programme National, regional, local & river-basin WF pilot projects Corporate and sector WF pilot projects Product WF studies Incorporation of the WF in reporting, standards, certification and regulations for the corporate sector Integration of WF data and statistics into existing global databases Work programmewater Footprint Network (2) Training Face-to-face training courses E-learning training course Partner forum Annual face-to-face forum Stockholm Online partner forum Webinars Working groups Website Water footprint calculator Statistics Publications

32 The Water Footprint Assessment Manual Manual Nov Manual Feb From definitions and method to practice Definitions and method WF Assessment Manual Data & models Databases and models Practice Sector-specific guidelines on the application of the WF WF Assessment Tool

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