Water Scarcity Footprint (AWARE)

The AWARE-based WSF was developed by the UNEP-SETAC WULCA group and adopted by the European Commission in the Environmental Footprint method (EF 3.1), as well as in ISO 14046 as the recommended approach for comparative water footprint studies.

Concept and Formula

WSF (m³ eq) = Water consumption (m³) × Basin-specific AWARE factor

AWARE factor (unitless): Ratio between the remaining available water after human and ecological demand in a local basin (ml) and the global average (mw).

• Values > 1 indicate basins with high water scarcity.
• Values < 1 indicate relative water abundance.

Advantages Compared to Other Indicators

• Global coverage at 30 arc-second resolution (~1 km), updated in AWARE v3 (2022).
• Integrates environmental flow requirements and socio-economic demand, avoiding penalisation of high-rainfall regions.
• Fully compatible with Life Cycle Assessment and ISO 14046 for product and corporate studies.

Steps to Calculate the AWARE-Based WSF

1. Geolocate each water consumption point along the supply chain.
2. Assign the AWARE factor using the official database (Shapefile or GeoTIFF raster).
3. Multiply consumed water volumes (m³) by their respective AWARE factors.
4. Aggregate results to obtain total WSF (m³ eq).
5. Interpretation: higher values indicate a greater contribution to global water stress.

Classification of AWARE Factors

• < 1 → Low scarcity (Amazon Basin, British Columbia)
• 1–10 → Moderate scarcity (Rhône, Volga)
• 10–25 → High scarcity (Segura, Middle Ganges)
• > 25 → Very high scarcity (Murray–Darling, Lower Colorado)

Corporate and Policy Applications

• Prioritise water replenishment projects in basins with AWARE factor > 10 for corporate water neutrality.
• Eco-design by substituting ingredients or materials with high WSF.
• CDP Water Security reporting: WSF is a key indicator in section W1.
• ESPR Regulation: the Digital Product Passport (DPP) will require WSF disclosure for textiles and electronics.

Integration with Other Metrics

• Feeds the “Use of Water – deprivation potential” category in ReCiPe 2016.
• Aligns with Water Footprint Assessment, adding a scarcity dimension.
• Complements the Water Dependency Index by revealing the relative impact of imported virtual water.

Challenges and Best Practices

• Spatial granularity: using exact coordinates of farms and facilities improves accuracy compared to country-level averages.
• Temporal representativeness: AWARE factors are based on 1996–2005 climatology; sensitivity analysis with CMIP6 projections (2030–2050) is recommended.
• Consumption vs abstraction: AWARE accounts only for net consumption, not withdrawals; balances should be adjusted where reusable discharges exist.
• Tier 2–3 supplier data: implement water reporting clauses and third-party audits.

Available Tools

• WULCA AWARE Calculator (Excel and Python).
• GIS plugins for QGIS / ArcGIS to intersect AWARE shapefiles with process coordinates.
• SimaPro v9.5 and OpenLCA with EF 3.1 method including AWARE.

The AWARE-based Water Scarcity Footprint integrates local water stress into water footprinting, supporting better decisions in design, sourcing, and compensation where impacts truly matter. With geolocated data and regular updates, companies and public policies can target investments in water resilience and contribute effectively to SDGs 6 and 12.