ISO 14046 Water Footprint Verification

Water footprint is monitored to raise awareness about the rational use of water, especially today when the supply is insufficient due to climate change and population growth. Water footprint is a concept that measures water consumption for goods or services. All life on Earth depends on water resources, and this resource is increasingly depleted due to climate change, water pollution and population growth.

A water footprint, like a carbon footprint, is an environmental indicator that measures the volume of freshwater used throughout the entire production chain of a consumer product or service. It can be used to measure water consumption for almost anything, from the production of a pair of trousers to the entire consumption of a country.

In general terms, the purpose of water footprint is to raise awareness about the large amounts of water required by production processes and lifestyles, in order to promote rational and sustainable use.

A country's water footprint is measured through four factors: total consumption volume, consumption habits, climate and agricultural practices.

The “ISO 14046:2014 Environmental management - Water footprint - Principles, requirements and guidelines” standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) describes the principles, requirements and procedures for water footprint assessment of products, processes and organizations based on life cycle assessment. This standard includes guidelines for conducting and reporting water footprint assessment as an independent assessment or as part of a more comprehensive environmental assessment. Only air and soil emissions affecting water quality were included in the assessment, but not all air and soil emissions were included. The result of a water footprint assessment is a single value or a profile of impact indicator results.

Reporting is covered by this standard, but communicating water footprint results, for example in the form of labels or declarations, is outside the scope of this standard.

Water use is a serious problem today and has become even more urgent due to a number of factors: the rapid growth of the world's population and the resulting increase in water consumption, climate change causing an increase in anomalies such as drought, and pollution causing a decrease in the amount of water. All of this reduces the amount of clean water available.

Simply put, a water footprint is the total amount of freshwater an individual uses. Water can be consumed directly or indirectly. Direct water use occurs when a tap or hose is turned on for water. Indirect water use is water used to produce, grow or manufacture everyday items. This water is needed to produce steel for cars or grow cotton for jeans. Understanding the total contribution to the water footprint is the first step in creating a culture of water conservation on a larger scale.

Briefly, water footprint verification is an environmental calculation technique to measure the amount of water consumed to produce a product, provide a service or perform an activity. In this way, it is possible to identify water-related risks within the supply chain. In this regard, the ISO 14046 standard provides the conditions, principles and guidelines for conducting and reporting water footprint assessments.

With the ISO 14046 Water footprint verification application, water saving is encouraged to avoid future risks, environmental impacts related to water use are controlled, and it is possible to meet consumer needs without affecting the environment.

Among the numerous testing, measurement, analysis and evaluation studies it provides for businesses in various sectors, our organization also provides testing services in accordance with the ISO 14046 standard, with a trained and expert staff and advanced technological equipment.