As a holistic approach to ‘environmental impact’, an online carbon footprint calculator has been set up to estimate the carbon footprint for each product (and combination of products) for their full lifetime. It takes into account the estimated water usage, consumables, accessories, product delivery, number of services required as well as an assessment of the transport mode. This approach allows for the comparison of different products and identifies the steps which produce most carbon so that alternative solutions can be considered.(Whitehead, 2015)
The water treatment technologies selected will have a major impact on water and power usage though-out the life of a water purification system. Each consumable will have a carbon footprint and there will also be a footprint for any service visits. Overall the objective is to maximise the lifetime of components and the reliability of the system, hence to minimize service visits. Other operational aspects include the reduction of power usage by 5% per product and reducing the product waste water by 12% per unit. (Whitehead, 2015)
In manufacturing and production, the choice and types of component used and their suppliers, and the use of energy-efficient and/or water-efficient techniques all lead to reduced environmental impact directly, and to reduced service call-outs through increased product reliability. In addition, the following factors are also taken into consideration: localized distribution centres, lower carbon sea rather than air transport and reduced product packaging.(Whitehead, 2015)