Damage Assessment Model for Freshwater Consumption and a Case Study on PET Bottle Production Applied New Technology for Water Footprint Reduction

The effects of freshwater consumption will differ from country to country depending on the availability of freshwater resource and adaptability to water scarcity. In this study, damage assessment model focused on human health and social asset damage caused by freshwater consumption was developed based on statistical data analysis. Calculated damage factors showed that undernourishment damage due to agricultural water scarcity was a dominant effect in most countries due to the ripple effects of international food trade. Case study of PET bottle production was performed to verify the availability of calculated damage factors and quantitatively assess the effectiveness of freshwater savings by applying new developed filling technology of PET bottle. No small reduction of environmental impact by advanced filling technology will be expected through the savings of freshwater consumption.