A novel framework for water accounting and auditing for efficient management of industrial water use

Abstract

The importance of industrial water resource management has increased owing to the increasingly significant issues of global water scarcity and water environmental degradation, which results in the need for more precise data as well as more advanced management strategies. The majority of industrial water resource management frameworks currently in use fall short in their attempts to perform microscopic section accounting and analysis and are unable to fully obtain and effectively implement product information regarding water. This unquestionably made it more challenging to pinpoint the effects of production pollution, accomplish efficient water conservation in industry, and raise the bar for meticulous management of water resources. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel framework for water accounting and auditing that combines traditional water accounting and water mass balance for measuring, evaluating, and diagnosing water flowing in various production links as well as water finance, to facilitate the effective management of industrial water resources and their integration with enterprise benefits management. Specifically, the framework suggests a new accounting structure that successfully connects the conventional water accounting system with the exact quantitative and economic accounting of industrial production links by revamping the title and substance of water accounting. As opposed to traditional water accounting and industrial water mass balance analysis, this will further improve the system's ability to track internal, intricate production links and the economics of industrial water management, respectively. The case study shows that this framework has considerable benefits for industrial companies in terms of water efficiency, product structure, and cleaner production, which better fits the goal of creating a water-saving society and the global industrial water resources management strategy.