Water Footprint as an environmental tool:Case Finnish forest and mining industry

Water scarcity and especially the availability of fresh water is a global concern and this has led to increased need to measure and communicate the impact of water use in different industrial sectors like forest, food, chemical, textile and mining industry. There are several approaches and calculation tools to assess water management. VTT Technical Research Centre in Finland has developed sector specific water footprint approach during 2010 - 2014 together with Finnish forest and mining industry. This approach is based on ISO 14046 Water Footprint - Principles, Recommendations and Guidelines that was accepted as ISO Standard in 2014. ISO 14046 is based on value chain thinking and describes the impacts of water use on humans and ecosystems due to changes in water quality and quantity at the regional level. Results of two industrial case studies will be presented together with specific industrial needs and challenges