Everything we use wear buy sell and eat

Everything we use, wear, buy, sell and eat takes water to make! A Water Footprint measures the amount of water used to produce each of the goods and services we use.

Water is a renewable, but finite resource. There is the same amount on earth today as there was when the dinosaurs roamed.

1. Personal 2. Business 3. Product 4. National

Most of the water we use is ‘invisible’ water, far more than we get from the tap. Your water footprint is the amount of water you consume in your daily life, including the water used to grow the food you eat, to produce the energy you use and for all the products in your daily life – your books, music, house, car, furniture and the clothes you wear

Each consumer on average ‘eats’ as much as 5000 litres of water every day! We can all make positive changes by saving water where we can and by choosing to buy food and products with a smaller water footprint.

The water footprint of a company includes its direct (operational) water footprint and its indirect (supplychain) water footprint. Water is a crucial resource for all businesses. For most businesses, the supply-chain water footprint is much larger.

Businesses can reduce their supply-chain water footprint by making supply agreements with certain standards with their suppliers or by simply changing to another supplier. Businesses can reduce their operational water footprint by saving water in their own operations. It is important for them to REDUCE, RECYCLE and TREAT water before disposal.

The water footprint of a product is the amount of water that is consumed and polluted in all processing stages of its production. It tells us how much pressure the product has put on freshwater resources. The water footprint of a final product takes into account all the steps or processes required to produce it.

Example A pair of jeans will require cotton to be grown, ginning and spinning of the fibres, weaving, sewing and wet processing of the fabric to ultimately have the finished product

Water is a global, collective resource. A nation’s water footprint can be viewed from two perspectives: production and consumption. The water footprint of production is the amount of local water resources that are used to produce goods and services within the country. The water footprint of consumption looks at all the goods and services that are consumed by the people living in a country. This could be partly inside and partly outside of the country if they have been imported.

Many countries have significantly externalised their water footprint, importing water-intensive goods from elsewhere. This puts pressure on the water resources in the exporting regions, where too often wise water governance and conservation are lacking.

Blue Water Footprint: The amount of surface water and groundwater required (evaporated or used directly) to make a product. Green Water Footprint: The amount of rainwater required (evaporated or used directly) to make a product. Grey Water Footprint: The amount of freshwater required to mix and dilute pollutants enough to maintain water quality according to certain standards as a result of making a product.

• We want businesses to understand their dependency on water and the risks they face related to water scarcity and pollution. Businesses should share good practices and be responsible. • Governments need to contribute and invest in improving the poorest performers. • We want all citizens to understand how much water is used to make their every day consumer products and to choose wisely.