ABSTRACT
This chapter comprises of concepts, methodologies, data and tools to assess water use and related impacts are introduced and discussed for that purpose they may or may not be appropriate and effective. The concepts and methodologies under consideration are water accounting, water scarcity and pollution indicators, life cycle assessment, water footprint assessment and water stewardship quantification. The life cycle assessment(LCA) methodology focuses on the sustainability of products. water footprint assessment (WFA) focuses on analyzing the sustainable, efficient and equitable allocation and use of freshwater in both local and global context with either a product, consumption pattern or geographic focus. The European Water Stewardship (EWS) standard is applicable to a broad range of water users that may affect the availability and quality of water, still respecting the complexity of impacts linked to water use. A water footprint assessment can be conducted and reported as a stand-alone assessment, or as part of a comprehensive life cycle assessment of all environmental impacts.
