Have you ever heard about a water footprint? Well, just have a quick glance at this short post! It will take only a few minutes but you will feel so much more refreshed after! Yet, you might feel worse when it comes to having your next cup of coffee…Continue reading to find out why!

First of all , we must think about a companies’ commitment: freshwater is a basic ingredient for their operations, while effluents may lead to pollution of the local hydrological ecosystem. Initially, public pressure has been the most important reason for sustainable business initiatives. Today, many companies recognize the corporate damage when failing to manage the freshwater issue. These risks  include damage to the corporate image, threat of increased regulatory control, financial risks caused by pollution, or insufficient freshwater availability for operations.

Freshwater of adequate quality is a prerequisite for human societies and natural ecosystems. The human use of freshwater is so large that competition among users occurs and water scarcity is a serious problem in several regions.

The water footprint is an indicator of water use that looks at both direct and indirect water use. When we talk about a product (goods or services) it refers to the total volume of fresh water used to produce the product, summed over the various steps of the production chain. When we talk about individual or community,  it refers to the total volume of fresh water used in a direct or indirect way. The water footprint of an individual, community or business is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business. The total “water footprint” of a nation is a useful indicator of a nation’s call on the global water resources and it is related to dietary habits of people.

Let’s take some examples:

I bet you had no idea that the production of one kilogram of beef requires 22 thousand liters of water!! This is something to think about the next time you join your buddies for a steak dinner on  Saturday night!  For all you coffee addicts (myself included), the cup of coffee you had this morning took 140 liters of water to be produced!

“The water footprint of China is about 775 cubic meters per year per capita. Only about 3% of the Chinese water footprint falls outside China. Japan, with a footprint of 1100 cubic meters per year per capita, has about 60% of its total water footprint outside the borders of the country, while the USA’s water footprint is 2600 cubic meter per year per capita”. (source:UNESCO-IHE-Water Footprint)

The water footprint concept is part of a larger family of concepts that have been developed in the environmental sciences over the past decade. A “footprint” in general has become known as a quantitative measure showing the appropriation of natural resources by human beings. The ecological footprint is a measure of the use of bio-productive space (hectares). The carbon footprint measures energy use in terms of the volume of carbon dioxide emissions (in tons). The water footprint measures water use (in cubic meters).

I told you reading this post took no time, it was sweet and short,  but hopefully you are now more informed. The image of a footprint is a symbolic way to represent nature, the wildlife and its undeniable bond to a supreme vital element: water. Calculating the water footprint is a simple way to raise awareness and to acknowledge the precious quality of water and the need to diminish its waste.