The water footprint indicates how many liters of water are used for the production and use of services and consumer goods.
Water footprint is the name of an environmental indicator that shows how much (volume) of fresh water a producer uses when carrying out the development of a service or consumer good. Beyond reporting how much of this resource is used within the framework of an industrial process, it also serves to reflect indirect use and thus encompass the daily consumption of water by communities or particular subjects.
Calculating the water footprint shows how much water a person uses daily, whether for regular activities (eating, hygiene, washing, etc.) or for work. It should be noted that it is possible to determine the water footprint of any type of specific group, whether within the producer segment (grouping private sector companies and public entities, among others) or consumers (considering members of families, towns, cities, provinces and countries).
In order to offer data of interest and constructive information about what the water footprint is, how the concept arose, what the importance of this indicator is and what particularities it presents, below we will review its origin, mention its most notable features, refer to its practical application and we will detail the varieties that exist in this regard.
History of the water footprint
The history of the idea of a water footprint dates back to 2002 , according to records. It was Arjen Hoekstra , a university professor who became part of the Department of Environment and Water Resources at the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education , who promoted this concept that soon transcended eras and borders.
Seasons later, the promoter of the aforementioned environmental indicator gave impetus to the Water Footprint Network , a network that is committed to promoting water efficiency on a universal scale. Within this framework, a water footprint evaluation manual was created and actions aimed at water conservation and strengthening a sustainability model are being encouraged and supported.
From then on, reports, studies and initiatives were added that have enriched the notion and added details to improve this fundamental tool to outline water security policies and define strategic actions focused on water management .
Characteristics
When analyzing the characteristics of the water footprint, its close link with the idea of virtual water is revealed. This last expression is not as broad as the first (in this case covering variables of color, origin and the moments of use and displacement), since it is reserved to indicate the specific volume of water that a certain productive activity requires. Thus, the look at the "virtual water content" of a certain product or service comes into play, which, whether in its finished version or throughout its production, requires a high percentage of the vital resource that every living being needs to survive.
In a worrying environmental scenario, it is necessary to take care of natural resources and take care of, for example, preventing and/or remedying problems linked to pollution and water scarcity.
It is necessary to know that the water footprint specifically considers fresh water and analyzes four issues: the moment in which the extraction is carried out, the point of origin of the resource, the volume and the classification or color of the water.
To determine it, a calculation is carried out in which figures related to the domestic consumption of water resources are involved, the exports of virtual water are subtracted and the imports of the same are added.
Types of water footprint
There are, as determined based on the place from which the water comes, several types of water footprint .
The gray water footprint , in this context, is identified as the indicator that focuses on the volume of water required to dilute the water that has been contaminated during a production process. This category, therefore, puts the magnifying glass on parameters related to water quality .
The blue water footprint , meanwhile, informs about the level of water that is consumed or used (incorporating into a good or service, evaporating in some instance or being thrown into the sea) from underground extractions or from a surface source. This index demands intervention by human beings (from the operation of an industry , the domestic use of water , irrigated agriculture , etc.).
We must also consider the green water footprint , made up of water from precipitation that is conserved in the land and used in vegetation and crops . Evaporation and transpiration phenomena occur in this scenario.
Water is essential to guarantee human life (and the survival of the rest of the species), for food production, for livestock, etc.
Examples
In recent years, calculations have been carried out to determine the water footprint of elements, products and services that have massive use on a global scale.
Thus, it was determined that, at a general level, the manufacture of a car that weighs one ton requires approximately four hundred thousand liters of water, considering the resource used when manufacturing the components and the assembly, assembly, etc. stage.
An eighty-gram sheet of A4-sized paper , meanwhile, requires ten liters of water, while producing a mobile phone requires around thirteen thousand liters of water.
It is even interesting to know that a few years ago the Mango brand announced the implementation of a sustainable strategy that allowed the water footprint associated with the production of jeans to be reduced by almost four million liters of water.