  In addressing the problem of commodity production out of feedstock imports,
an eco-environmentally rational agent aims at minimizing the cost of feedstock
imports and their transportation, but also the water footprint of the feedstock
production process and the water scarcity in the exporting countries. The
problem is formulated as a nonlinear program. This study proves the existence
of solutions and quantitatively demonstrates that transportation costs and
non-uniform feedstock characteristics inhibit feedstock interchangeability.
Moreover, it is shown that the interplay between water footprint and water
scarcity across countries can inhibit or foster feedstock interchangeability.
