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Water Footprinting

Hot on the heels of Carbon Footprinting is the growing importance of Water Footprinting as the constraints on the availability of freshwater worldwide are becoming increasingly apparent.

Global pressure on freshwater resources is increasing, mainly through changes in global population and income levels, which have led to an increase in demand for water intensive products such as meat, sugar and cotton.  Similarly, changes in precipitation patterns as a result of global climate change are adding to the pressure on global water resources.

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.

Here are some examples of product Water Footprints:

1kg wheat 1,350 litres water
1kg chicken 3,900 litres water
1kg beef  16,000 litres water
1 litre tea 120 litres water
1 litre coffee 1,100 litres water
1 litre milk 1,000 litres water
  

The Green Consultancy provides a comprehensive organisation and product Water Footprinting service.

Please also see Water Saving.

For your no obligation quote, or to discuss your requirements, please contact Michael Webb or phone him on 08450 176299.