Sustainable water management in industry using Industrial Water Footprint

Large quantities of water are consumed directly or indirectly by production and distribution plants. Industries are rapidly required to comply with the principles of sustainable development through United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), focusing on sustainable water management, such as SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), 12 (responsible consumption and production), 13 (climate action) and 14 (life below water) Industrial Water Footprint (IWF) is an important tool for estimating and analyzing water consumption, thus enabling the industry to move to a more sustainable direction. Operational WF focuses on the WF resulting from industrial processes i.e. manufacturing & packaging while supply chain WF represents the WF of the raw materials and products used in the production. The aim of this paper is to present and compare the operational and supply chain WF of different industrial branches, showcasing its applicability as an environmental pressure indicator. Selected industrial branches, worldwide and also in Greece, where significant water quantities are needed for production will be analyzed, given that water consumption is not only an economic parameter but also a tool to determine process performance within the branch. Through WF assessment, increased water consumption spots and water recycling potential can be identified, resulting to process or management alternatives, with significant economic and environmental impacts on the production and/or consumer behavior.