A water footprint measures the total amount of water it takes for a
company to manufacture and transport a product, or for a city, country,
or business to operate.
Calculating water footprints can help businesses and communities better
understand and prepare for the impacts of global water scarcity,
according to experts.
And if this so-called embedded water information ends up on a product
label—somewhat similar to the U.S. government's Energy Star label that
indicates energy efficiency, or the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's WaterSense label, which measures water efficiency—consumers
may be able to choose products based on water footprints as well.
Individuals can already learn how much liquid it takes to fuel their
daily routines with water footprint calculators, like the one developed
by the nonprofit Water Footprint Network (WFN).
Exceptionally water-intensive products and food items include beef,
coffee, and cotton. For example 2 pounds (1 kilogram) of beef requires
4,227 gallons (16,000 litres) of water to produce, once you consider
the water needed to grow feed and process the meat, according to WFN.
Likewise, 776 gallons (2,900 litres) of water is needed to make a
cotton shirt.
The U.S. has the biggest water footprint per capita, at 766,098 gallons
(2.9 million litres) per person each year, according to WFN. And across
the Pacific, 65 percent of Japans total water footprint comes from
beyond its borders in the form of imported products, the group says.
Beer Footprints
Now major corporations are warming to the idea of working with WFN and
its partner organizations to measure the footprints of their operations
and manufacturing processes
Beer giant SABMiller, one of the first to sign on, unveiled the first
detailed corporate water footprint at this year's World Water Week
conference in Stockholm, Sweden. The company said it will use the
results to help manage its water use.
Global conservation organization WWF, a WFN partner, analysed
SABMillers operations in South Africa and the Czech Republic, measuring
water inputs required to produce bottled beer—including the bottle
itself.
The analysis found that for each litre of beer brewed in South Africa,
41 gallons (155 litres) of water were used. But in the Czech Republic a
litre of beer has a water footprint of 12 gallons (45 litres).
The much higher water cost of SABMillers South African operation was
largely due to the country's more arid climate and greater reliance on
crop irrigation, versus a cooler, rainier Czech Republic, according to
WWF.
More than 98 percent of the beers footprint in South Africa was from the cultivation of raw ingredients such as barley.
Risk Analysis
Such data allows companies to identify potential water savings and plan
for future shortages due to factors such as population growth and
climate change, according to the SABMiller report's authors.
In most cases companies pay for municipal water or water rights, so increasing water costs are of concern as well.
Andy Wales, SABMiller's head of sustainable development, said in a
statement that water footprinting will enable the brewer to understand
which specific parts of the supply chain might face water scarcity, or
poor water quality, in the future.
The Coca-Cola Company has also now water-footprinted one of its
products—the 0.5-liter bottle of Coca-Cola Classic. Armed with the new
knowledge, the company hopes to improve water efficiency by 20 percent
before 2012, Coca-Cola water-sustainability manager Denise Knight said
during World Water Week.
Knight wouldn't say what the Coca-Cola Classic's water footprint was,
but she said that agricultural inputs were the largest contributor.
Knight also highlighted the impact of sugar beets and other crops that
may require a lot of water, used to sweeten the drink. We recognise
that across the globe that sweetener is going to be a key component of
our water footprint, Knight said.
Murky Waters
New findings will be used by WFN, based at the University of Twente,
Netherlands, to standardise the way water footprints are calculated.
Applying a standard to water footprinting is crucial, said Stuart Orr,
WWFs freshwater-footprint manager. That's because the complex
ecological analysis, which involves identifying and measuring multiple
water inputs, is "confusing everybody right now," he said.
But, footprinting represents the best tool for reducing water demand in
already severely water-stressed countries that will have to support
some 3 billion people by 2025.
"We cant screw this up," he added. "There is no Plan B with water. Lets be clear about that."
University of Twente's Arjen Hoekstra, creator of the water footprint
concept, said the current confusion is not in the methodology but in
"people who for the first time [are starting to] consider the issue."
"There are many questions raised which leads to confusion," he said.
"There is a demand for practical guidelines—for tools that can be
easily used by business. That is where the development will be."
A new manual due out later this month by WFN will spell out the method
for calculating water footprints, whether its by individuals,
businesses, or governments, Hoekstra added.
Some environmental groups are pressing for water footprinting
information to be included on food labels so consumers can also play
their part in choosing low-water-impact foods.
But WWF has said that its still too early in the water-footprint
movement to provide label information. The group notes the complexities
of comparing water footprints.
Meanwhile, many manufacturers remain skeptical of putting water footprint information on labels.
Donna Jeffries is sustainability manager at U.K.s Unilever, which has a
large portfolio of household brands, such as Lipton tea and Ben &
Jerry's ice cream.
She said detailed water footprint labels are an unrealistic prospect
"when you have many thousands of products. We'd get so bogged down in
measuring everything."
Sylvain Lhôte, of Austria-based plastics manufacturer Borealis, said
the company was completely opposed to the idea of water footprint
labels on its products.
"We think it is totally meaningless and misleading to talk about a
product's water footprint," Lhôte said, adding that a products true
ecological impact isnt revealed by water volume alone.
Two U.K.-based organizations that promote sustainable farming
practices›:Sustain and the Food Ethics Council›:this summer proposed a
flower-shaped eco-label that would have water as one of its key
"petals."
Each petal would represent a different environmental concern.
Rather than showing water litres per kilogram, the food and drink
stickers would show if a company practiced "good water stewardship."
WFNs Hoekstra, who said he believes that labeling will happen, noted
that water footprint labels have already appeared on some products in
Finland and Japan.
This year the Finnish food company Raisio, for instance, introduced a
label showing the amount of water used to produce a packet of its oat
flakes.
Companies have plenty of incentive for providing such information, according to Hoekstra.
"Corporate image is an issue," he said. "It may damage their corporate image if they don't have a clear story to tell."
Latest News 
Like their cousin the carbon footprint, water footprints are one of the latest methods scientists and policy makers are using to assess humanity's impact on the planet. And now businesses are starting to use water footprinting as well.
