Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable Meeting

Washington, D.C., April 27, 2011

Water Footprinting & Other Sustainability Metrics… an Overview

Paul L. FreedmanPresident

LimnoTechAnn Arbor, Michigan

LimnoTech Overview

• Founded 1975• Focus on water issues• Services: use cutting edge science & engineering

approaches to guide clients in solving water pollution & management challenges

• Serve diverse clients– Federal & State

agencies– Municipalities– Corporations/Industries– Non profits

• Geography: - 49 states, - 3 provinces, - 5 continents

LimnoTech: role in Footprinting & Water Stewardship

• Corporate water footprints• Partnered with various NGOs & Agencies

on global training• Watershed protection, restoration, &

replenishment• Active development role in WFN & AWS• Active participant in ongoing evolution of

field of metrics

4

Increased Awareness

2009 Globescan 32,000 people in 15 countries found:

– 90% perceived as serious problems– 78 % said that companies have a

clear role and obligation to find solutions

Why Businesses are Interested

• Financial Risk– Costs– Revenues

5

• Physical Risk– Scarcity, quality

• Regulatory Risk– Change in rules

less availability, loss of license

• Reputational Risk– Loss of market

Global Water Initiatives• Aquawareness : EWP• Alliance for Water Stewardship• BIER Water Footprint Working

Group• Carbon Disclosure Project -

Water Disclosure• Corporate Water Gauge• Federation House Commitment

to Water Efficiency• Global Environmental

Management Initiative (GEMI)• Global Reporting Initiative• Global Water Tool (WBCSD)

• UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative

• Strategic Water Management Framework (Australia minerals)

• UN CEO Water Mandate• Veolia Water Impact Index• Water Brief for Business• Water Footprint Network• Water Neutral Offset Calculator• WaterSense Certification

Scheme• Water Stewardship Initiative• ISO Water Footprint Standard

Elements of Water Stewardship Frameworks

1. Water use accounting– Withdrawals, discharge, consumption– Supply chain, direct, and end use

2. Impacts assessment– Access to human or aquatic life– Impaired quality

3. Business Risks– Shortages & costs– Regulation– Managment

4. Prevention & response– Conservation, management, and reuse– Watershed improvements

5. Public Communication & Disclosure

Selected Water Stewardship Initiative Simplified Characterization

WATER USE

WATER IMPAC

TS

BUSINESS

RISKS

PREVENTION

& RESPO

NSE

DISCLOSURE

Water Footprint Network (WFN) ✘ ✘ ✳ ✘Global Water Tool (WBCSD) ✘ ✘Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) ✘ ✘ ✘CDP Water Disclosure ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘ISO Water Footprint* ✘ ✳ ✳ ✳

Global Env. Mgmt. Initiative (GEMI)* ✘ ✳ ✘Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWP)* ✘ ✘ ✘ ✘✳under development

Motivation for Water Metrics

• Assessment

• Risk reduction

• Standards & Certification

• Transparency & Disclosure

Water Footprint ApproachBasis: Dr. Arjen Hoekstra (Univ. Twente, Netherlands)

Green

Blue

Grey

Direct

Supply Chain

End Use

Wate

r Foo

tprint

Examples

2700 l 2400 l

70 l140 l

per cup

• World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

• Tool to estimate business risk from water scarcity– Locate Corporate facilities in water-scarce areas– Employees in countries lacking access to water or

sanitation– Suppliers in water-scarce areas

• Excel workbook and mapping tool

Global Water Tool®

Example Output

1

3

1

2 2

1

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

No

Dat

a

Ext

rem

e S

carc

ity

Sca

rcity

Stre

ss

Suf

ficie

nt

Abu

ndan

t

Sites Distribution (Watershed)Annual Renewable Water Supply per Person

(Source: WRI, Projections for 2025)

Carbon Disclosure ProjectWater Disclosure• Parallel to carbon disclosure• Focus on investment community

– Disclosure of risks– Opportunities for business

• Detailed questionnaire– uses– discharge– risk– strategic

– condition– recycle– opportunity– management

• Standardize sustainability reporting• Example water reports

– EN 8 water withdrawal by source– EN 9 water sources affected by withdrawal– EN 10 water recycled/reused– EN 21 water discharged (quantity, quality,

destination)– EN 23 impact of spills– EN 25 biodiversity of water bodies– EN 28 fines

Example GRI OutputEN 8. 9. 21

Chapter 5.10 Water Consumption*****’s power distribution business operations do not interfere with the wetlands listed by the Ramsar Convention (1971) which addresses the preservation and rational use of wetlands, nor does its water consumption significantly affect ecosystems/natural habitats. In terms of industrial power generation, the water from the reservoirs, which only passes through turbines is not considered consumed water.

***’s power plants employ water from rivers, lakes and reservoirs for cooling in an open circuit without any recirculation.

**** does not recycle the water used in the administrative facilities. The water consumption by the administrative facilities in 2008 was, 545,905 m3 with a 2.0% reduction compared to 2007.

ISO 14046 Water Footprint

• Parallel to carbon footprint• Consistent with life cycle

assessment• “footprint” with weighting factors to

produce “score”• Under development

Alliance for Water Stewardship

• Certification program• Initiated by multi stakeholder groups

of global NGOs• Parallel to FSC, MSC certification• Focus on industry• Builds a regional efforts by EWP

and WSI• Elaborate stakeholder input• Under development

SummaryWater Stewardship Initiative

• Many tools & approaches• Different roots & objectives• Different capabilities & applications• No one tool does it all• Field & tools under development

Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable Meeting

Washington, D.C., April 27, 2011

For more information contact:

Paul L. Freedman, PresidentLimnoTech (www.limno.com)

501 Avis DriveAnn Arbor, MI 48108

734-332-1200pfreeman@limno.com

Water Footprinting & other Sustainability Metrics… an Overview