The WULCA consensus characterization model for water scarcity footprints: assessing impacts of water consumption based on available water remaining (AWARE)

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been used to assess freshwater-related impacts according to a new water footprint framework formalized in the ISO 14046 standard. To date, no consensus based approach exists for applying this standard and results are not always comparable when different scarcity or stress indicators are used for characterization of impacts. This paper presents the outcome of a two-year consensus building process by the Water Use in Life Cycle Assessment (WULCA), a working group of the UNEP SETAC Life Cycle Initiative, on a water scarcity midpoint method for use in LCA and for water scarcity footprint assessments. The recommended method, AWARE is based on the quantification of the relative Available WAter REmaining per area once the demand of humans and aquatic ecosystems has been met, answering the question “What is the potential to deprive another user (human or ecosystem) when consuming water in this area?”. The resulting characterization factor (CF) ranges between 0.1 and 100 and can be used to calculate water scarcity footprints as defined in the ISO standard.

BOULAY Anne-Marie;  BARE Jane;  BENINI Lorenzo;  BERGER Markus;  LATHUILLIÈRE Michael J.;  MANZARDO Alessandro;  MOTOSHITA Masaharu;  MARGNI Manuele;  NÚÑEZ Montserrat;  PASTOR Amandine;  RIDOUTT Bradley;  OKI Taikan;  WORBE Sebastien;  PFISTER Stephan; 

2018-07-20

SPRINGER HEIDELBERG

JRC100097

0948-3349,   

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11367-017-1333-8,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC100097,   

10.1007/s11367-017-1333-8,