Water is not just water

When calculating water footprint, one distinguished between three different types of water: Green, blue and grey:

• Green water: Rainwater stored in the soil as soil moisture.
• Blue water: Groundwater and surface water (from lakes, rivers, aquifers).
• Grey water: Water polluted by the production of goods and services.

The global water footprint consists of:

• Green water: 74% - water evaporated or incorporated by plants. Particularly relevant for agricultural products.
• Grey water 15% - freshwater required to absorb pollutants for instance in mining or industrial production.
• Blue water: 11% - Use of ground and surface water in for example industrial production. Some blue water is incorporated in products and some is part of the production process

The global water footprint is distributed between:

• 92% embedded in agricultural products
• 4.4% embedded in industrial products
• 3.6% domestic water use

Different types and sizes of footprint

The water footprint can be calculated focusing on different “units”.

• The water footprint of a company is the footprint of all its activities (goods and/or services produced).
• The water footprint of a country is the sum of water footprints of all members (people, industry, agriculture).
• The water footprint of a consumer is the combined footprint of all consumed products.

The water footprint varies tremendously between countries and people

The global average water footprint of a consumer is 3.8 tons per day. The US has the highest per capita footprint of 6.8 tons per day. Many European countries such as Greece, Italy and Spain follow closely with a water footprint of roughly 6.5 tons of water per day per person. In China, on the other hand, the average citizen has a water footprint of 1.9 tons - less than 30 percent of the average US citizen.

Water use going up together with a growing population of consumers

Rich consumer societies use much more water than less developed countries. And since more and more people join the consumer class every day, water use is increasing rapidly. By 2050, the global water footprint is estimated to be 130 percent higher than in 2000.

Water footprint of countries

In absolute terms, the countries with the highest water footprints are (in billion tons per year):

• India: 987.38
• China: 883.39
• US: 696.01
• Russia: 270.98
• Indonesia: 269.96
• Brazil: 233.59

Water footprint of products

All products use water when produced. Everything from food and beverages to clothing and electronics  Here’s some of the most water intensive food products:

Water use for ONE kilogram of product.

• Chocolate: 17,200 liters
• Beef: 15,400 liters
• Sheep meat: 10,400 liters
• Pork: 6000 liters
• Avocado: 2000 liters

Avocado production draining an entire region for water

Chile is a major producer of avocados that are exported worldwide. Chile’s largest avocado-producing province is Petorca, located in the Valparaiso region. In Petorca, the production of one single avocado is estimated to require a massive 320 liters of water. This has resulted in a region-wide drought where rivers have dried up and groundwater levels have fallen. Because of the lack of water, local people are forced to use often contaminated water delivered by truck.

“In order to send good avocados to Europeans, we end up ​​drinking water with shit in it”.

- Veronica Vilches, Rural Potable Water activist.

Not a unique story

The water crisis in Chili caused by avocado production is in no way unique. Globally, 1.4 billion people live in areas running out of water. This number will increase by over 2 billion in the coming decades. The situation is so bad, some scientists warm that we could virtually run out of water.