A Comprehensive Introduction

to Water Footprints

2009 Arjen Y. Hoekstra

Professor in Water Management University of Twente the Netherlands

Scientific Director Water Footprint Network

www.waterfootprint.org
Overview Presentation

1. The water footprint of products

2. The water footprint of a nation

The relation between national
consumption, trade and water

3. The water footprint of a business

4 F
4. From concept to practice
i
Water footprint impact assessment
Reducing water footprints

5. Conclusion

6 The way
6. a for
forward
ard
The water footprint
of products
 Water footprint of a product

the volume of fresh water used to produce the product,

summed over the various steps of the production chain.

when and where the water was used:

a water footprint includes a temporal and spatial dimension.

type of water use:

green, blue, grey water footprint.
 Water footprint of a product

Green water footprint

volume of rainwater evaporated.

Blue water footprint

volume of surface or groundwater used for the manufacture
manufacture.

Greyy water footprint

volume of polluted water.
 Components of a water footprint

Direct water footprint Indirect water footprint

consump
Green water footprint Green water footprint

Wate
Water withdrawal

er
ption
Non-consumptive water
use (return flow)
Blue water footprint Blue water footprint

pollution
Water
Grey water footprint Grey water footprint
The traditional
statistics
on water use

[Hoekstra, 2008]
 Assessing the water footprint
off crop and animal products

Water
W t footprint
f t i t off a crop
Crop water use (m3/ha) / Crop yield (ton/ha)

Water footprint
f off an animal
Sum of water for feed, drinking and servicing

Water footprint of a crop or livestock product

Distribute the water footprint of the root product over its derived
products
 Crop water requirement

1. Calculate reference crop evapotranspiration ET0 (mm/day)

e.g. Penman-Monteith equation

2. Calculate crop evapotranspiration Etc (mm/day)

Etc = ET0 Kc where Kc = crop coefficient

3. Calculate crop water requirement CWR (m3/ha)

CWR = Etc [accumulate over growing period]
 Irrigation requirement

Irrigation requirement = crop water requirement effective rainfall

 Crop water use

Green water use by crop =

min (crop water requirement, effective precipitation)

Blue water use by crop =

min (irrigation requirement, effective irrigation)
 Grey water footprint

volume of polluted freshwater that associates with the production of

a product in its full supply-chain.
calculated as the volume of water that is required to dilute pollutants
to such an extent that the quality of the water remains above agreed
water quality standards.
 Cotton seed oil,
Production chain
0.16 1.07
Cotton seed oil
0.47 1.00 refined

cotton C tt seed
Cotton d
Hulling/
g 0.51 Cotton seed
extraction 0.33 cake

0.63
0.10
0.18
0.20
Cotton linters
Harvesting
Cotton plant Seed-cotton Ginning
0.05
0.35 0.10
Garnetted stock
0.82

1.00 Cotton, not Carding/

Cotton lint 1.00 carded or combed Spinning

0.95 Cotton, carded or

0.99 combed (yarn)

Knitting/
g
weaving
0.95 0.05
0.99 0.10

Grey fabric Yarn waste

Wet processing

1.00
1.00

Fabric
Legend
Finishing
g

0 .35 Product fraction 1.00

1.00

0 .82 Value fraction Final textile

[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]
Water footprint of EUs cotton consumption (blue water)

[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

Water footprint of EUs cotton consumption (green water)

[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

Water footprint of EUs cotton consumption (grey water)

[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

This is a global average and aggregate number. Policy decisions should be taken on the basis of:
1. Actual water footprint of certain coffee at the precise production location.
2. Ratio green/blue/grey water footprint.
3. Local impacts of the water footprint based on local vulnerability and scarcity.

[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]
[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]
[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]
[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]
[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]
[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]
[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]
Water footprint of biofuels from different crops [litre/litre]

[Gerbens-Leenes, Hoekstra & Van der Meer, 2009]

The water footprint
of a nation
 Water footprint of a nation

total amount of water that is used to produce the goods and

services consumed by the inhabitants of the nation.

two components:
internal water footprint inside the country.
external water footprint in other countries.
countries
 Water footprint of a nation

National water footprint =

national water use
+ virtual water import
virtual water export
 National water accounting framework

Internal External Water

+ =
water water footprint Consumption
footprint footprint
+ + +
Water use Virtual water Virtual
for export + import for re- = water Export
p
export exportt

= = =

Water use Virtual Virtual

+ =
within water water
country import budget
Production

mport

The traditional
Im

statistics
on water use
Regional virtual water balances
(only agricultural trade)

Arrows show trade flows >10 Gm3/yr

[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

 Water footprint per capita
3000
Domestic water consumption Industrial goods Agricultural goods

2500
cap/yr)

2000
ootprint (m /c
3

1500 Global average water footprint

Water fo

1000

500

0
akistan

Mexico

Russia

hailand
Brazil
onesia

Italy

USA
Nigeria
China

India

Japan

R
Indo

Th
Pa

[Hoekstra & Chapagain, 2008]

Major determinants of a water footprint

1. Consumption characteristics

Consumption volume
Consumption pattern

2. Production
oduc o circumstances
c cu s a ces

Climate: evaporative demand at place of production

Agricultural practice: water use efficiency
The water footprint of a
business
Why businesses are interested

corporate social responsibility

corporate image / marketing perspective
business risks related to
- freshwater shortage for own operations
- freshwater shortage in supply chain
anticipate regulatory control
 Water footprint of a business

Operational water footprint

the direct water use by the producer for producing,
manufacturing or for supporting activities.

Supply-chain water footprint

the indirect water use in the producers supply chain.
 The virtual water chain

Virtual Virtual Virtual

water water water
flow Food flow flow
Farmer processer Retailer Consumer

green grey blue grey blue grey blue grey

and water water water water water water water
blue use use use
water
use

[Hoekstra, 2008]
 The water footprint of a consumer

Virtual Virtual Virtual

water water water
flow Food flow flow
Farmer processer Retailer Consumer

green grey blue grey blue grey blue grey

and water water water water water water water
blue use use use
water
use

Indirect WF Direct WF

[Hoekstra, 2008]
 The water footprint of a retailer

Virtual Virtual Virtual

water water water
flow Food flow flow
Farmer processer Retailer Consumer

green grey blue grey blue grey blue grey

and water water water water water water water
blue use use use
water
use

Supply chain WF Operational WF End-use WF of a

product

The traditional statistics

on corporate water use
[Hoekstra, 2008]
 The water footprint of a food processor

Virtual Virtual Virtual

water water water
flow Food flow flow
Farmer processer Retailer Consumer

green grey blue grey blue grey blue grey

and water water water water water water water
blue use use use
water
use

Supply chain WF Operational WF End-use WF of a product

The traditional statistics

on corporate water use
[Hoekstra, 2008]
Water footprint Carbon footprint

Water footprint
p Carbon footprint
spatial and temporal
dimension
actual, locally specific values
always referring to full supply-
chain
focus on reducing own water
footprint (water use units are
not interchangeable)
no spatial / temporal
dimension
global
l b l average values
l
supply-chain included only in
scope
scope 3 carbon accounting
accounting
many efforts focused on
offsetting (carbon emission
units are interchangeable)

Water footprint and carbon footprint are complementary tools.

[Hoekstra, 2009]
Water footprint Life cycle assessment

Water footprint
p LCA
measuring freshwater
appropriation
multi-dimensional (type of
water use, location, timing)
actual water volumes
volumes, no
weighing
WF accounts offer basis for
impact assessment and
formulation of sustainable
water use strategy
measuring overall
environmental impact
no spatial
i l di
dimension
i
weighing water volumes based
on impacts
LCA offers basis for comparing
products with respect to
overall environmental impact

[Hoekstra, 2009]
From concept to practice
From water footprint accounting to policy formulation

Vulnerability of local water systems

Current water stress in the places

where the water footprint is localised

1 2 3
Spatiotemporal- Impacts of the Reduce and
explicit water water footprint offset the
footprint of a environmental negative impacts
product social of the water
individual economic footprint
community
business

[Hoekstra, 2008]
Water footprint impact assessment

Global map of where Global map of where

the water footprint water systems are
is located stressed

Overlay

Global hotspot map

 Impact assessment hypothetical example
Global water footprint of a business Environmental water scarcity
located in the Netherlands

Water stress
(withdrawal-to-availability)
< 0.3
0.3 - 0.4
04-0
0.4 0.5
5
0.5 - 0.6
0.6 - 0.7
0.7 - 0.8
0.8 - 0.9
0.9 - 1.0
> 1.0
Main producing regions
Producing countries

Hotspots
Water stress
(withdrawal-to-availability)
< 0.3

Hotspots are spots where

0.3 - 0.4
0.4 - 0.5
0.5 - 0.6
(1) the business has a
0.6 - 0.7
0.7 - 0.8
substantial water footprint
08-0
0.8 0.9
9
0.9 - 1.0 (2) water is stressed.
> 1.0

Main producing regions

Hotspots
Reducing and offsetting the impacts of water footprints

Reduction: all what is reasonably

reasonably possible
possible should have been done to
reduce the existing water footprint; do not undertake water-using
activities if better alternatives are available.

Offsetting: the residual water footprint is offset by making a

reasonable investment in establishing or supporting projects that
aim at a sustainable, equitable and efficient use of water in the
catchment where the residual water footprint is located
located.

[Hoekstra, 2008]
Consumer perspective

Reduction of the direct water footprint:

water saving toilet
toilet, shower-head
shower head, etc.
etc

Reduction of the indirect water footprint:

substitution of a consumer product that has a large water footprint
by a different type of product that has a smaller water footprint;
substitution of a consumer product that has a large water footprint
by the same product that is derived from another source with
smaller water footprint.

Ask product transparency from businesses and regulation

from governments

[Hoekstra, 2008]
Business perspective

Reduction of the operational

p water footprint:
p
water saving in own operations.

Reduction of the supply-chain water footprint:

influencing suppliers;
changing
h i tto other
th suppliers;
li
transform business model in order to incorporate or better control
supply chains.

[Hoekstra, 2008]
Business / product transparency

W
Water footprint
f i reporting
i
Shared standards
Labelling of products
Certification of businesses
Benchmarking
Quantitative footprint reduction targets
Government perspective

Reduction of own organizational

g water footprint:
p
Reducing the water footprint of public services.

E b ddi water
Embedding t ffootprint
t i t analysis
l i iin llegislation
i l ti

Supporting / forcing businesses:

to make annual business water footprint accounts;
to implement measures that reduce the impacts of business water
f t i t
footprints.

Promoting
gpproduct transparency
p y
through promoting a water label for water-intensive products;
through water-certification of businesses.
Shared responsibility and an incremental approach

Consumers or consumer or environmental organizations

push businesses and governments to address water
use and impacts along supply chains.

S
Some b i
businesses actt voluntarily
l t il iin an early
l stage.
t

Governments promote businesses in an early phase

and implement regulations in a later phase.
The way forward
 www.waterfootprint.org

Mission:
Mi i P
Promoting
ti sustainable,
t i bl equitable
it bl andd efficient
ffi i t water
t
use through development of shared standards on water footprint
accountingg and g
guidelines for the reduction and offsetting
g of
impacts of water footprints.

Network: bringing together expertise from academia,

businesses, civil society, governments and international
organisations.
g
 www.waterfootprint.org

Partners
partners from six continents
research institutions
governmental institutions
non-governmental organisations
large companies from different sectors
branche organisations
consultants
international institutions