Everything that moves through the world and through an economy has a water footprint. People, animals, products, and services, everything ends up as part of the chain of life supported by our one shared biosphere. Not everyone invests much time thinking about water supplies. After all, water is plentiful and if you look at a globe most of the planet is covered with the blue that represents water, right?
Not all water is readily available for use. Salt water makes up 97% of the world's water, leaving only three percent of the world's water to sustain the life and the economies moved by fresh water. Less than 1/2 of one percent of that fresh water is available as surface water, such as that found in lakes and rivers.
What is a Water Footprint?
According to the Water Footprint Network, a water footprint is the total volume of fresh water used to produce goods and services consumed by an individual, a community, or produced by a business. A water footprint goes beyond obvious water use, such as washing dishes, making a cup of coffee, or a manufacturing process. Indirect water use is included when calculating an individual's or an item's water footprint.
Maybe you are sipping a cup of coffee as you read this; if you are, take a moment to really look at it. It has a water footprint, and the footprint is much larger than the single cup of water used to actually make it. That cup of coffee's water footprint is 140 liters of fresh water. It is a little bit hard to picture at first, at least it was for this coffee-loving writer, but growing, processing, and shipping enough coffee to make a single cup of coffee uses the equivalent of almost 37 gallons of water.
If you do not drink coffee, that's okay, you can still participate in this visualization exercise. Do you have a sheet of paper or a cotton shirt? The average water footprint for a single sheet of paper is ten liters, or 2.6 gallons. The water footprint for a cotton shirt is 2,700 liters of water, or about 713 gallons of water.
Why Worry About a Water Footprint?
On the surface it might appear as if water is so abundant we should not have to worry about it when the world has so many other problems. After all, the world 's economy is, well, bleak at best, not to mention poverty, disease, and war; and businesses cannot always afford to invest time on water management. As populations grow, however, fresh water stores become depleted, and this affects, or will most likely affect, everyone and every business.
Corporate Water Footprints
The importance of a corporate water footprint is expressed in terms of risk. A fresh water shortage could threaten a business' supply chain or operation. As sustainability and green business practices become more important to consumer, a business careless about water use could pick up a bad reputation. Government regulations regarding fresh water use are expected to increase, putting businesses at risk of financial penalty for less than stellar water practices.
Businesses can reduce the aforementioned risks by working to reduce the size of their water footprints both within each organization, within the supply chain, and by accurately reporting the data. Information about reporting the water usage data can be located in the Global Reporting Initiative's G3 Guidelines when compiling a CSR report.
Unlinked Reference:
The Biosphere: Protecting Our Global Environment: 2005: Written by Kaufman & Franz: Published by Kendall Hunt Publishing Company
Businesses can reduce the aforementioned risks by working to reduce the size of their water footprints both within each organization, within the supply chain, and by accurately reporting the data. Information about reporting the water usage data can be located in the Global Reporting Initiative's G3 Guidelines when compiling a CSR report.
Unlinked Reference:
The Biosphere: Protecting Our Global Environment: 2005: Written by Kaufman & Franz: Published by Kendall Hunt Publishing Company
Copyright Laure Justice
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