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02 / 07 / 2010

Zeroemissions partner of the Water Footprint Network

The New Technologies division will include the analysis of its water footprint in its R&D&i projects.

The concept of the Water Footprint (WF) is defined as the volume of freshwater used to produce a product or service. The international virtual water flows related with the trade of the product and the water consumed in relation with its use and end-of-life must also be included. The WF is measured in terms of water volume used and/or polluted per unit of time. It can be divided into three components: blue WF, green WF and grey WF. The blue WF is the volume of freshwater used from sources such as surface water (lakes) and ground water. The green WF is the volume of water used that comes from stored rainwater. The grey WF is the volume of water polluted associated with the production of a particular good or service.

The Water Footprint Network is an international non-profit foundation, established in October 2008, with its headquarters in Holland. The network brings together experts from academic institutions, companies, civil society, governments and international organisations. Its mission is the promotion of sustainable, fair and efficient water use through the development of worldwide standards of water footprint accounting and directives for the reduction and compensation of water use.

The Water Footprint Network consists of a board, a supervisory council and an advisory council. The board consists of two directors: Mr. Derk Kuiper (executive director) and Prof. Y. Arjen Hoekstra (scientific director creator of the water footprint concept). The supervisory council, whose members are appointed by the founding partners1, is responsible for supervising and advising the board. The advisory council indicates the strategies to be followed with regard to achieving the foundation’s objectives. The members of the supervisory council are also members of the advisory council and are responsible for appointing the rest of its members.

The foundation carries out the following activities:

- Developing standards (methods, guidelines, criteria) for water footprint accounting and assessment, reduction and offsetting of the negative impact of water footprints.

- Developing practical tools to support people and organisations interested in water footprint accounting and assessment, reduction and offsetting of water footprints.

- Organisation of meetings, publications and education with regard to the water footprint concept.

Promoting the exchange of information, communication and dissemination regarding the water footprint concept.

Supporting governments, international institutions, non-governmental organisations and businesses in implementing water footprint accounting and developing a fair and efficient water policy.

Advising on the application of the water footprint and checking and certifying the use of the water footprint.

There are two types of foundation partners:

- Regular partners: promote the mission of the Water Footprint Network and support the activities of the foundation through an annual low-level fee. The collaboration of Zeroemissions falls within this framework.

Sponsoring partners: actively support the mission of the Water Footprint Network, carrying out and contributing to (in terms of financial resources and/or time) projects inside or outside the network that are fully integrated and coordinated with the technical work programme of the foundation in support of its mission. Sponsoring partners pay an annual fee that is substantially higher than that of regular partners.

- With our incorporation in the Water Footprint Network the New Technologies division will include the analysis of its water footprint in its R&D&i projects in order to be able to perform a more complete environmental assessment of a particular technology.

- Our objectives in the foundation will be to further our knowledge of the water footprint, learn its accounting and reduction methods and also to form contacts with scientists, research groups and companies interested in the issue.

The agenda of the Water Footprint Network included the following events in which Zeroemissions participated as a regular partner:

- WFN Partner Forum – Stockholm, 19 August 2009

- Water Footprint Training Course – Delf, The Netherlands, 27-29 October 2009.

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