基于ISO 14046的工业产品水足迹评价研究——以电缆为例

水足迹国际标准(ISO 14046)于2014年发布,基于生命周期评价(LCA)的思想,水足迹被定义为量化与水相关潜在环境影响的指标。在ISO14046的原则、要求和方法学框架基础上,介绍了工业产品水足迹的计算和评价方法,并以铜电缆和铝合金电缆为例进行研究,分别评价了两类电缆生命周期过程产生的与水相关环境影响。与水足迹网络(WFN)的方法侧重于计算生产产品所需要的水资源总量不同,ISO的方法更关注于产品全生命周期过程的环境影响评价。案例研究表明:铜电缆生命周期全过程耗水量与铝合金电缆相比少24.8%,水短缺足迹相比则少97.9%。这是因为铜电缆生产地江苏的水压力指数(WSI)小于铝合金电缆生产地河北的WSI。由此,在江苏地区生产电缆使用的水资源对当地水环境压力造成的影响远小于在河北地区生产电缆造成的影响。采用科学合理的水足迹评价方法,量化工业产品全生命周期带来的环境影响,能为我国实现工业布局的合理规划和水资源的可持续利用提供科学依据。

Evaluation of the water footprint of industrial products based on ISO 14046 using cables as an example

The international standard of water footprints (ISO 14046) was published in 2014 based on life cycle assessment (LCA), which is defined as the index for quantifying potential water-related environmental influences. Based on the principle, requirements, and methodology of ISO14046, the aim of the present study was to introduce methods for calculating and evaluating water footprints, and analyze copper and aluminum alloy cables in relation to this. We evaluated the influence of water during the life cycles of the two cable types. Unlike the water footprint network (WFN), which emphasizes the calculation of the total requirement of water resources for production, the ISO method focused on the environmental influence assessment during the product life cycle. The case study indicated that the water consumption and footprint of the copper cable were lower by 24.8 and 97.9%, respectively, than that of aluminum alloy cable during their life cycles. This is because the water stress index (WSI) of Jiangsu Province, where copper cables are produced, is lower than that of Hebei Province, where aluminum alloy cables are manufactured. Therefore, the water usage for cable production in Jiangsu will influence the local water environment considerably less than in Hebei. Adopting scientific methods to evaluate the water footprint and quantify the environmental influence accompanying the full life cycle of industrial products provides a scientific basis for effective planning of the industrial distribution and sustainable utilization of water resources in our country.