Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.13044/j.sdewes.d11.0478
Water supply and sewerage: Path to Net Zero Organizational Emissions
Ivanna Harasymchuk
; Department of Sustainability and Product Ecology, VSCHT, Prague, Czech Republic
Vladimír Kočí
; Department of Sustainability and Product Ecology, VSCHT, Prague, Czech Republic
Martina Hájková
; Department of Sustainability and Product Ecology, VSCHT, Prague, Czech Republic
Martin Srb
; Prague Water Supply and Sewerage, Prague, Czech Republic
Nikola Salová
; Prague Water Supply and Sewerage, Prague, Czech Republic
Petr Sýkora
; Prague Water Supply and Sewerage, Prague, Czech Republic
Abstract
Societal pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has compelled organisations to actively manage their carbon footprint. This paper investigates calculating the carbon footprint of the company Prague Water Supply and Sewerage, which serves as an example of a water management organisation in Central Europe. The specificity of research lies in consideration of characteristics related to the energy balance, water sources, climate, the number of consumers, and the political situation, which are most characteristic of the chosen location but may differ from the characteristics of organisations in other parts of the world. A comprehensive assessment of the carbon footprint of the investigated organisation is based on the life cycle assessment methodology. The results of this study show three main directions that significantly impact the carbon footprint: process emissions, purchased energy and purchased services. The recommendations based on the obtained results include the replacement of outdated equipment with more modern and energy-efficient alternatives, transitioning to renewable energy sources, implementation of energy recovery technologies, investigation of alternative processing methods that use fewer chemicals and energy, and giving preference to suppliers of goods and services with good environmental characteristics.
Keywords
Carbon footprint; Carbon neutrality; Life cycle assessment; Net-zero strategy; Municipal water management;
Hrčak ID:
315385
URI
Publication date:
3.7.2024.
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