Example of LCA on water resources focusing on diapers
studies had different boundaries and considered different functions
water use for 6 months of diapering
| single-use |
8,423 liters |
| cloth, washed by commercial laundry |
21,884 |
| cloth, washed at home |
18,269 |
summary hid the complexity of the water resources and differences in use
vs. depletion
Cloth diapers are cotton - a crop that requires high irrigation
cotton irrigation water use accounted for
10% of the home laundry budget
47% of the commercial laundry budget
water irrigation depends on the local
| state |
L of water per
kg of cotton fiber |
sources |
| California |
7280 |
diversion in N.Calif.
Colorado river |
| Arizona |
7984 |
Colorado, Yuma
several overdrawn aquifers |
| Texas |
4595 |
Ogallaha, Trinity-Edwards aquifers |
| Mississippi |
814 |
surface and ground water not overdrawn |
Washing, rinsing and flushing
% of total use for each category
| single use |
3% |
| home laundry |
90% |
| commercial laundry |
49% |
the impact depends on the source and fate of this water
New York gets its water from renewable resources
Memphis - from aquifers that are not overdrawn
Los Angeles - diversion and where ever
a liter is not a liter
Loss of water in the process
drying is the highest consumptive loss
spin dry gets 2kg water per diaper down to 1 kg water per diaper
this kg is lost in the drier
Single use diapers use water in the manufacturing phase
84% of water use in pulp and paper production
other differences
cotton in chemically intensive crop - leachate and runoff
municpal sewage is treated for BOD and toxicity
pulp mills are treated for their effluents
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