Water footprint applied to construction sector

The water footprint is an indicator of freshwater use that looks not only at direct water use of a consumer or producer, but also at indirect water use. The water footprint can be regarded as a comprehensive indicator of freshwater resources appropriation, next to the traditional and restricted measure of water withdrawal. Water footprint assessment refers to the full range of activities to: (i) quantify and locate the water footprint of a process, product, producer or consumer; (ii) assess the environmental, social and economic sustainability of this water footprint; and (iii) formulate a response strategy. In this paper the application of the water footprint is presented. The water footprint of a business is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used directly or indirectly to run and support the business. It consists of two main components. The operational (or direct) water footprint of a business is the volume of freshwater consumed or polluted due to the business’s own operations. The supply chain (or indirect) water footprint of a business is the volume of freshwater consumed or polluted to produce all the goods and services that form the inputs of production of the business. Instead of the term ‘business water footprint’ the terms ‘corporate water footprint’ or ‘organizational water footprint’ can also be used. In this paper the application of the water footprint in a construction business located in Eastern Sicily is presented, in order to identify the economic, social and environmental advantages, costs and benefits deriving from the application this kind of new indicator.