The emerging role of water footprint in supply chain management: A critical literature synthesis and a hierarchical decision-making framework

Aivazidou, Eirini; Tsolakis, Naoum; Iakovou, Eleftherios; Vlachos, Dimitrios

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.07.210

Cited by 81 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 97 publications

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“…Additional support for water footprint management policies in the farming through using sustainable practices for water footprint mitigation present [63]. Future research is required for the building up of a database of water indicators from farms using different management practices (including different crop varieties) for specific regions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Farm Water Productivity in Conventional and Organic Farming: Case Studies of Cow-Calf Farming Systems in North Germany

Vellenga

Qualitz

Drastig

2018

Water

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The increase of organic agriculture in Germany raises the question of how water productivity differs from conventional agriculture. On three organic and two conventionally farming systems in Germany, water flows and water related indicators were quantified. Farm water productivity (FWP), farm water productivity of cow-calf production (FWP livestock ), and farm water productivity of food crop production (FWP food crops ) were calculated using the modeling software AgroHyd Farmmodel. The FWP was calculated on a mass and monetary basis. FWP livestock showed the highest productivity on a mass basis occurring on a conventional farm with 0.09 kg m −3 W input , whereas one organic farm and one conventional farm showed the same results. On a monetary basis, organic cow-calf farming systems showed the highest FWP livestock , with 0.28 € m −3 W input . Since the productivity of the farm depends strongly on the individual cultivated plants, FWP food crops was compared at the level of the single crop. The results show furthermore that even with a precise examination of farm water productivity, a high bandwidth of temporal and local values are revealed on different farms: generic FWP for food crops and livestock are not within reach.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Farm Water Productivity in Conventional and Organic Farming: Case Studies of Cow-Calf Farming Systems in North Germany

Vellenga

Qualitz

Drastig

2018

Water

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“…Nowadays, the water footprint (WF) of animal products is equal to one-third of the total WF of all agricultural production [3]; this ratio is expected to increase [4], given the rapid global transition in nutrition to richer food consumption patterns that include more animal products [5]. Notably, within the scientific literature, the WF assessment of livestock and dairy products constitutes more than 25% of the studies in the wider agrifood sector [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blue Water Footprint Management in a UK Poultry Supply Chain under Environmental Regulatory Constraints

2018

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Abstract:Chicken is the most consumed meat in the UK, accounting for 40% of meat consumption, while national production sufficiency reaches about 80%. As a farmed animal product, chicken meat is responsible for significant freshwater appropriation volumes during its production cycle. In this context, this research aims at exploring freshwater dynamics in the UK processed poultry industry. Specifically, we develop a System Dynamics model to capture the blue water footprint, as a key sustainability performance indicator of a poultry supply chain, in the case that relevant environmental and regulatory constraints are applied. The model contributes towards investigating the impact of two potential policy-making scenarios, namely, the "water penalty" and the "water tax", on the nexus between profitability and water usage across the poultry supply chain. Responding to the regulatory constraints, the food processor either reconfigures the supply chain through rethinking desired inventory levels or implements a water management intervention. The results indicate that investing in water-friendly production technologies could offer a greater advantage to sustainable supply chains in terms of blue water efficiency and profitability, compared to employing inventory management strategies. Overall, our analysis highlights that effective policy-making and technology-driven interventions could provide potential towards ensuring economic growth and environmental sustainability of the UK poultry sector.

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“…In this context, for example, the European Commission led an effort involving representatives of 27 Member States and Advisory Groups from business associations, database and software developers, as well as impact assessment method developers, for the recommendation of impact assessment methods for LCA studies [12]. Studies analyzing the evolution of the conceptual framework of the water footprint, as well as the limitations of the methodologies, have mostly been created with a global scope and do not consider the particular limitations for studies conducted in the Latin American region [13,14]. Additionally, these studies did not consider the aspect of communication of the results.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Footprint (ISO 14046) in Latin America, State of the Art and Recommendations for Assessment and Communication

Martínez-Arce¹,

Chargoy²,

Puerto³

et al. 2018

Environments

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Due to the importance of water management, and good governance for humanity’s wellbeing and future, the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda has established the global Water Goal (SDG 6). Mobilization of the different sectors is required. The private sector has an important role, and it is increasingly aware of the substantial water risks for business. Thus, it is timely to quantify and monitor potential environmental impacts with an international standard (ISO 14046:2014), in order to prioritize investments to reduce the direct and indirect impacts from water uses within the production of goods and services. The objectives of this project were: (1) To scale knowledge, networking and generate leadership through exchanges among 43 professionals from 14 Latin American countries; (2) to develop recommendations to improve coherence in the quantification, verification and communication of the water footprint in the region; and (3) to structure and publish the recommendations, available tools/methods and key challenges in open access guidelines. This effort resulted in an active and continuous-growth community for water footprint practice in Latin America. This article describes the process to achieve the Regional Guidelines and other results.

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The emerging role of water footprint in supply chain management: A critical literature synthesis and a hierarchical decision-making framework

Cited by 81 publications

References 97 publications

Farm Water Productivity in Conventional and Organic Farming: Case Studies of Cow-Calf Farming Systems in North Germany

Farm Water Productivity in Conventional and Organic Farming: Case Studies of Cow-Calf Farming Systems in North Germany

Blue Water Footprint Management in a UK Poultry Supply Chain under Environmental Regulatory Constraints

Water Footprint (ISO 14046) in Latin America, State of the Art and Recommendations for Assessment and Communication

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