Water Footprint in Supply Chain Management

Dear Colleagues,

Freshwater is a fundamental constituent in major production systems. Specifically, the agricultural and industrial sectors utilise 70% and 22% of the global freshwater supplies, respectively. Furthermore, growing world population, climate change and continuing industrialization impose additional stress on freshwater availability. In this context, projections highlight that more than 40% of the world population will be living in regions facing severe water scarcity in 2050. Consequently, as environmentally sensitive consumers press for water-friendly products, the preservation of freshwater resources has emerged as a major challenge for corporations. In fact, an increasing number of leading companies are incorporating water management initiatives into their corporate responsibility agendas to foster the sustainability of their supply chain networks and enhance their green corporate image.

To capture freshwater consumption and pollution across a product’s life cycle, the scientific community has introduced the water footprint concept. Although research on the water footprint assessment of products, and particularly the water footprint assessment of agrifood industry products, is increasing rapidly, there is an evident lack of a systemic integration of the water footprint aspect into the whole spectrum of the supply chain operations. At the same time, given the environmental and economic ramifications of freshwater overexploitation for both society and businesses, prospective research should focus on: (i) the implementation of corporate water stewardship policies, and (ii) the investigation of their impact on water use minimisation, sustainability performance and supply chain configuration.

The aim of this Special Issue is to explore water-related risks and challenges, as well as water management opportunities, in the modern globalised production landscape from a supply chain perspective. In this context, comprehensive reviews, case studies or original research articles that emphasise the assessment, management or optimisation of the water footprint across entire supply chains are invited for submission.

Prof. Dimitrios Vlachos
Dr. Eirini Aivazidou
Guest Editors

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