Cosme Water Footprint will lay the groundwork for developing a digital water footprint calculation tool for the cosmetics sector

• Cosme Water Footprint arises from the analysis conducted in the previous COSM-EAU project, which identified a lack of information and knowledge for accurate measurement of the water footprint in the cosmetics sector.
• The project has established a representative working group comprising 11 companies from the cosmetics and perfumery sector.

The Cosme Water Footprint project aims to develop and validate a water footprint analysis methodology tailored to the cosmetics and perfumery sector, serving as a tool to promote sustainable water management within the industry. The project stems from the successful collaborative outcomes established among the participating clusters in the COSM-EAU project and the identified lack of information and knowledge for accurately measuring the water footprint in the cosmetics sector.

The project is structured into three phases, with the first phase focusing on adapting and validating the organizational water footprint calculation methodology for the sector. The subsequent phases will involve developing the calculation engine for both the organizational water footprint and the footprint per product, providing cosmetic companies with a digital tool that automates the calculation of their water footprint.

Collaboration and participation from companies in the sector are crucial for the project’s success. To this end, in October 2023, the project partners organized a kickoff meeting that successfully established a working group of 11 cosmetics and perfumery companies. Currently, the project team is working together to collect baseline data for calculating the water footprint. Additionally, the project includes the compilation of the best available techniques to improve water management in the sector and provides customized reduction action reports for each participating cosmetic company.

The Cosme Water Footprint project involves the innovation clusters Feeling Innovation by Stanpa and the Catalan Water Partnership (coordinators), the Water Technology Center (Cetaqua), which is a pioneer in water footprint calculation in various industrial sectors, and three expert engineering firms in the water sector (Lent Enginyers, Hydrokemos, and Hidroquímia). The project is co-financed by the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Tourism (MINCOTUR) under the 2023 call for Innovative Business Groups (AEIs) as part of the Next Generation funds and the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan.