Life cycle assessments from FORCE Technology provides qualified knowledge about the environmental impacts from different sources of drinking water.

Copenhagen Energy continuously experiences an increased focus on the water environment and climatic conditions in the water supply sector. The implementation of the EU water framework directive meant that Copenhagen Energy had to move some of its extraction drillings or find alternative resources.

Proposed solutions were among other things desalination of seawater and collection of rainwater which could contribute to relief the groundwater drillings and thus the immediate environment around these. 

However, application of these new technologies could cause other environmental impacts, among other things because the energy consumption for treatment of the water becomes higher. Therefore, the environment was one of several important factors which were to be included in the decision-making process.

Copenhagen Energy asked FORCE Technology to carry out life cycle assessments (LCA) of the different alternatives to collection of reclaimed water. Life cycle assessments are an important tool when the company is to decide which solution that is the most environmentally friendly as they provide a detailed analysis and assessment of the environmental impact.

For Copenhagen Energy this meant that life cycle assessments could act as a tool which can contribute to secure that the future choice of sources for drinking water is made on basis of qualified knowledge of the environmental impacts and for the future it became an integrated part of the basis for decision.

Read more about Copenhagen Energy’s work with Life Cycle Assessment (only in Danish).