WaterFootPrint - Factor-X is its first client!
In June 2011, Factor-X conducted a first estimate of its water footprint, in order to inform its clients and to raise awareness of the team toward possible improvements.
Factor-X is a service company with very de-materialized activities. There are a very few similar studies, and this water footprint can serve as comparative basis to the tertiary sector in Europe and at international level.
The water footprint of Factor-X underlines the following quantitative aspects:
- More than 90% of the virtual water associates with our activities is linked to feeding activities of the employees
- The daily electricity consumption associated with the de-materialized professional activities (computer work, internet) represents an indirect water consumption of the same order of magnitude as the potable water consumption of the employees for general purposes (hygiene, toilet, dishwashing, drinking water…)
- The yearly water footprint of a Factor-X employee attains 818 m3, for an average number of 225 working days per year. This footprint corresponds to 44% of the renewable water resources available per inhabitant in Belgium. This high water footprint can be explained by the major part taken by feeding activities of the employees in the total and results from our consumption paths massively based on import of food rich in water from other continents. The water footprint of Factor-X is slightly lower that The average of a Belgian inhabitant mainly thanks to the willingness to reduce meat consumption.
Discover the methodology, detailed results and improvement proposals by checking here