Towards Quantification of the Water Footprint of Paper: A First Estimate of its Consumptive Component

Abstract

For a hardcopy of this article, printed in the Netherlands, an estimated 100 l of water have been used. Most of the water is required in the forestry stage, due to evapotranspiration (green and blue water). In addition, the water footprint during the industrial stage, as accounted for in this study, consists of evaporation from water obtained from ground water and surface water (blue water). In this study estimates are made of water requirements for producing paper using different types of wood and in different parts of the world. The water footprint of printing and writing paper is estimated to be between 300 and 2600 m 3 /t (~2-13 l for an A4 sheet). These estimates account for paper recovery rates in different countries. This study indicates that by using recovered paper for the production of paper the global average water footprint of paper is only 60% of what it would be if no recovered paper would be used at all. Further savings may be achieved by increasing the recovery percentages worldwide. In addition, the global water footprint of paper can be reduced by choosing production sites and wood types that are more water-efficient. The results of this study suggest that the use of recovered paper may be particularly effective in reducing water footprints. This study is a first step towards a better understanding of the significance of the water footprint of paper and the effect of using recovered paper.

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“…Para isso foram utilizados os resultados já publicados sobre PH na produção de papel que identificou o valor da PH verde da produção de madeira para celulose em várias partes do mundo (Van Oel e Hoekstra, 2012 . Neste estudo não foi considerada a PH cinza do cultivo da madeira.…”

“…Os estudos têm destacado a incompatibilidade entre a disponibilidade hídrica e a demanda de água (Hoekstra et al, 2012). As métricas são fundamentais para avaliar o desempenho das atividades agropecuárias e relevantes para orientar produtores e consumidores em suas decisões.…”

“…Os resultados indicam as diferenças a partir da PH azul e da PH verde , entretanto desconsidera a fração da PH cinza do processo industrial em seu cálculo (Van Oel e Hoekstra, 2012). De acordo com os autores, as razões pela não contabilização desta fração esta relacionada à falta de disponibilidade e a baixa qualidade dos dados, em escala global, referentes a composição dos efluentes gerados no processos produtivo e da qualidade dos corpos de água em seu estado natural (Van Oel e Hoekstra, 2012). Enquanto que a discussão sobre a forma do cálculo e os resultados da PH cinza do processo agrícola já foi realizada em outros artigos (Dabrowski et al, 2009;Chapagain et al, 2006), ainda é desconhecido o impacto da fração da PH cinza do processo industrial no cálculo da PH da celulose.…”

Virtual industrial water usage and wastewater generation in the Middle East and North Africa 2011–2015

“…Regarding India, the mean annual inter-state VW trade in crops is 106,000 million m 3 for the years 1997-2001 (Verma et al 2009), while China's northern and southern parts have been found to be a net virtual water exporter [having a value of 4225.4 million m 3 (year 1997)] and net virtual water importer [having a value of 148.1 million m 3 (year 1997)], respectively (Guan and Hubacek 2007). There have also been efforts to estimate the WFs of products, cities, countries, regions, and processes (Van Oel and Hoekstra 2012;Mekonnen and Hoekstra 2012a, b;Ercin et al 2012;Gerbens-Leenes and Hoekstra 2012;Jefferies et al 2012;Ruini et al 2013;Zhang et al 2011;Chapagain and Hoekstra 2011;Dong et al 2013;Vanham and Bidoglio 2013;Van Oel et al 2009;Niccolucci et al 2011). For example, Chapagain and Hoekstra (2011) However, published reports are not available on the net VW export through the trade of potash, fertilizers, crude oil, refined petroleum, olive oil, and pig iron to the 28 countries of the European Union (EU28) (2016), especially from the MENA region.…”

Regional Water Footprint Assessment: A Case Study of Leshan City

“…www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability Sustainability 2015, 7,[16532][16533][16534][16535][16536][16537][16538][16539][16540][16541][16542][16543][16544][16545][16546][16547] Chico et al [21], Herath et al [22], Ene et al [23], who extended water footprint assessment to wider application for products, such as soy milk and soy burgers, sweeteners and bio-ethanol, paper, livestock, jeans and wines. Mekonnen and Hoekstra [24] measured the water footprint of crops and derived crop products in the period of 1996-2005.…”