Life Cycle Inventory: modelling of water use

The Environmental Footprint (EF) methods endorsed by the European Commission offer standardized metrics for assessing the environmental impacts of products and organizations within the EU. This report details the findings from the Agricultural Working Group (AWG), Milestone 4, which focuses on the modelling of water use in agriculture. Recognizing agriculture as the largest global water consumer, particularly in Southern Europe where consumption can reach up to 80%, the report advocates for refined water scarcity impact assessments that differentiate between green and blue water. It discusses the use of models like CROPWAT to enhance accuracy and enable eco-design options at the farming level. Additionally, it highlights the importance of regionalizing water flow assessments below the country level to improve impact granularity and suggests exploring national water supply mixes to better reflect diverse water sources, and provides areas of improvement for the next EF recommendations. The policy relevance of this work is evident in its potential to guide European policymakers towards more sustainable water management practices, thereby supporting the Environmental Footprint Initiative's mission to mitigate environmental impacts across sectors.

WOLF Marc-Andree;  FERRARA Nicola;  DAMIANI Mattia;  YUNTA Felipe;  GARCIA HERRERO Laura; 

2025-10-01

Publications Office of the European Union

JRC142276

978-92-68-32060-0 (online),   

1831-9424 (online),   

EUR 40472,    OP KJ-01-25-498-EN-N (online),   

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC142276,   

10.2760/8169424 (online),