Water Footprint

Climate, water and energy are inextricably linked and there is a need for better integrated measurements and policies. The impact of global warming is first and foremost a change in the water cycle. Around 80% of all measures taken to reduce global warming will have to be water-related.

The need for the manufacturing industry as a whole to take a responsible approach towards sustainable water use and potential conservation action therefore is vital. As part of Borealis' Water for the World programme, which underlines the company's commitment to advance best-practices for sustainable water management, the company has become the first plastics producer to assess the Water Footprint of its products.

Traditional data reporting by the industry i.e. measuring the volume of water abstracted but not where the water ends is not accurate enough to assess the real impact of water consumption on the eco-system and local communities.
With the help of the Water Footprint concept, a more holistic assessment can be done, taking into consideration not only the total abstraction but also the water flow and losses during the production process as well as the flow of water back into the eco-system or other users after treatment. Thus, a Water Footprint indicates the volume of water abstracted from local sources minus the volume released in the same place after treatment or directly made available for re-use.

Borealis' pioneering Water Footprint analysis was completed in collaboration with the Royal Institute of Technology of Sweden (KTH), Findings of the study show that the manufacturing of polyolefins has a limited direct Water Footprint - ranging from 1.2 to 6.5 litres of fresh water per kilo of finished product. However, the indirect Water Footprint originating from feedstock and the source of energy used seems to be more critical and could triple the total Water Footprint of the product.

As part of its sustainability strategy, together with carbon footprint and energy-consumption measurements, the Water Footprint is another core indicator to advance the sustainability of a company's operation and its products. Knowing its Water Footprint gives a better understanding of the impact of business and how to respond to local water allocation issues. Based on local impact assessments, the Water Footprint helps to better prioritise relevant water management improvement actions.

Borealis will share the knowledge that it has accumulated with its customers in order encourage the assessment of the Water Footprint of specific plastic applications and will support further methodology development with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.