Abstract
Retail water use accounts for up to 19% of public water globally supplied. However, the water intensity of retail stores and its drivers remains largely unexplored. This study is the first of its kind to provide water intensity indicators for retail buildings, namely Water Intensity per store Area (WIA), Water Intensity per Store (WIS), Water Intensity per Worker (WIW) and Water Intensity per Revenue (WIR), providing metrics for better water management in the retail sector. The water intensity of the world's highest revenue retailers was assessed through data published online in their sustainability reports. A statistical analysis on location, store size, number of workers and revenue was also performed to evaluate the influence of these variables in water intensity indicators. Results confirm that the number of workers, location, store size, and sales revenue statistically influence some of the four water intensity indicators analysed. These results contribute to assist retailers in setting best practice water consumption reference levels and to better understanding water variability, thus offering tools for improved sustainability and water efficiency across the retail sector.
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Data supporting reported results can be found at: [dataset 1] Ferreira A (2018), “Combined carbon and energy intensity benchmarks for sustainable retail stores–CSR Reports”, Mendeley Data, v1. https://doi.org/10.17632/gnygmhvv8d.1 and [dataset 2] Ferreira A (2019), “Relating carbon and energy intensity of best performing retailers with policy, strategy and building practice”, Mendeley Data, v1. http://doi.org/10.17632/82hv54pzrd.1
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[dataset 1] Ferreira A (2018) Combined carbon and energy intensity benchmarks for sustainable retail stores - CSR Reports. Mendeley Data v1. https://doi.org/10.17632/gnygmhvv8d.1
[dataset 2] Ferreira A (2019) Relating carbon and energy intensity of best performing retailers with policy, strategy and building practice. Mendeley Data v1. https://doi.org/10.17632/82hv54pzrd.1
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the support from CERIS and Instituto Superior Técnico.
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FCT funded this work–Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia [grant number PD/BD/127852/2016] under the Doctoral Program EcoCoRe–Eco-Construction and Rehabilitation.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Conceptualization were performed by A. Ferreira and M. Pinheiro. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by A. Ferreira and V. Sousa. The first draft of the manuscript was written by A. Ferreira and V. Sousa and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. Validation, review and editing were performed by M. Pinheiro, J. Brito, R. Mateus. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Ferreira, A., Pinheiro, M.D., de Brito, J. et al. Water Intensity Indicators in the Global Retail Sector. Water Resour Manage 37, 219–234 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-022-03363-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-022-03363-2