INTENT
The intent of this Imperative is to increase awareness by product manufacturers of how and where they use water, and to demonstrate responsible water use. The Imperative requires manufacturers to look at their own facilities as well as upstream in their supply chain, in addition to downstream impacts and pollution.
REQUIREMENTS
Living Products have a quantified water Footprint for their cradle-to-gate production. In order to improve the use and management of water both on-site at the facility and within the life cycle of the product, it is crucial to first understand how process water is used and the fate of that process water.
On-Site Water Footprint:
Manufacturers must determine where and how water is used on-site at the facility and identify opportunities for decreasing water use and/or improving its use and disposal.
Life Cycle Water Footprint:
Manufacturers must conduct a Life Cycle Assessment to assess and document the water Footprint and identify the five processes (key drivers) that make the largest contributions to the product’s cradle-to-gate water Footprint. Manufacturers can make use of an existing LCA or Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) that follows the ISO 14044 standard for LCA used for third-party communication. Manufacturers must demonstrate that the water Footprint of the product is lower than the industry average for the product type.
CHANGES FROM LPC 1.1 TO 2.0
This is a new Imperative under LPC 2.0 now separate from the requirement for becoming Net Positive on-site and in the Life Cycle (Imperative 05). It requires that manufacturers understand their on-site and life cycle water impacts, make those numbers transparent and explore opportunities for impact reduction within both of those scales to move towards becoming Net Positive. It also establishes that a valid LCA is required for all products regardless of the level of certification.
