Monitoring, Verifying and Reducing the Water Footprint for More Sustainable Water Management in Companies

On October 23, 2025, at the Risorgive del Bacchiglione in Dueville (VI) and online, the training course “Monitoring, Verifying and Reducing the Water Footprint for More Sustainable Water Management in Companies” took place with great participation. The event was aimed at businesses interested in adopting a more sustainable approach to water resource management.

The initiative is part of the LIFE Svolta Blu project, co-funded by the European Union’s LIFE Programme, which aims to raise awareness among companies on sustainable water management, encourage interventions for saving, restoring and conserving water resources, and develop an innovative “blue credit” exchange system.

Artisan and industrial companies that use significant amounts of water in their production processes can play an active role in maintaining the hydrogeological balance of the area by:

• improving process efficiency and/or using alternative water sources instead of drinking water;

• and, when further savings measures are no longer feasible, offsetting their water use by financing groundwater recharge projects carried out by other local actors.

In this context, measuring the water footprint in accordance with UNI ISO 14046 represents a key step to:

• define consumption reduction strategies,

• enhance corporate commitment in sustainability reporting,

• improve ESG ratings,

• and strengthen competitiveness within supply chains and vendor rating processes.

The course, designed especially for Sustainability, HSE, Quality Management and Certification departments, was structured into two sessions:

Morning – “Water Resource Protection and Water Footprint Measurement”
An in-depth look at the regulatory and hydrogeological framework and the risks associated with water use with Paolo Ronco (Viacqua), followed by an introduction to ISO 14046 with Alessandro Bellio and Sophie Merlo (Etifor) and contributions from Francesca Anzolin (CSQA).

Afternoon – “Water Footprint Reduction and Sustainability Strategy”
A focus on practical tools to define water consumption reduction and compensation measures and integrate water management into the company’s ESG strategy, with Francesca Casarico (REF Ricerche).

The event saw the active participation of numerous companies from the Vicenza area, demonstrating a growing interest in more responsible and resilient production models.
All participants will receive a certificate of attendance.

A special thanks goes to Viacqua, Etifor, REF Ricerche, CSQA and all the companies present for contributing with ideas and best practices to strengthen the dialogue on water resource protection and the development of a circular water economy.