Abstract
The water footprint (WF) is used to assess water usage. However, its calculation depend on the scope stablished. The aims of this study were: to calculate the WFtotal of three industrial processes, to assess the influence of each component (blue, grey, and indirect) on the WFtotal, and to analyze how the WF varies with changes in the scope. WFtotal was quantified for three processes: bottled water, leather, and beer. WFtotal was obtained as the sum of a direct (freshwater and water for pollutant dilution) and an indirect contribution (equipment, energy, and raw materials). A sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the WF when excluding from its calculation: raw materials, electricity, and both. WFindirect was the one which weighted the most on the total. Excluding the WF from raw materials reduced the WFindirect of the leather and beer industries by 95%, without affecting the bottled water process. Excluding electricity only impacted the WF of bottled water. When both were excluded, the WFdirect became the most significant. The definition of the scope for each process affects the WF and, consequently, the decision-making regarding the sustainable water use by each industry.