Race for Water: The world race for water

12/08/2015

In general, in everyday life, we humans use a lot of water for drinking, cooking, washing, or personal hygiene, but we use the largest volumes of water in the production of food, technology, paper, clothing, etc. We are all aware that this vital resource is in serious danger and must be protected.

With the delegation of Race for Water we mainly talked about the concept of “water footprint”, which is a calculation that allows us to know how many liters of water we need to manufacture our products.

The water footprint is an indicator of the direct and indirect use of water by a consumer or a producer. The water footprint of an individual, a community or a business is defined as the total volume of fresh water necessary for the production of goods and services consumed by this individual, that community or that business.

Within the concept of water footprint two subconcepts coexist: visible footprint and hidden footprint. The first consists of 150 approximate daily liters per person for personal hygiene, washing dishes and clothes, cooking, etc. However, the hidden footprint is what is spent on water to produce the food you eat, technology, infrastructure, transportation, clothing and everything that corresponds to consumption. Here we are talking about 4000 liters of water per person per day, approximately.

For example, a cup of coffee needs 140 liters of water to get aromatic and tasty to your lips, adorning a good conversation about sustainable development with your friends.

Representatives of the international Race for Water Foundation, which travels the world aboard the R4WO, which is a solar-powered ship, developing scientific projects and sensitizing world public opinion regarding water care, was in Chile and talked with Blueberriesconsulting.com about the water footprint of the blueberry industry.

Business Water Footprint

The water footprint of a business is a measure of the total water consumed to produce the goods and services it provides. It is a combination of the water that goes into the production and manufacturing of a product or service and the water used throughout the supply chain, as well as during the use of the product.

The report of the World Economic Forum on Global Risks 2015 lists water crises as the greatest global risk. Until now, water has been treated as a raw and free material. Today, companies are beginning to realize that poor water management can damage their brand, credibility, credit rating and insurance costs.

Today it is essential to know your own water footprint, which is the amount of water you are using and how much is available in the river basins in which you and your suppliers operate, otherwise it is impossible to know if you are using it in a way sustainable.

The water footprint allows companies to find out where and when water is used in their businesses. The water footprint of a company includes its direct (operational) water footprint and its indirect water footprint (supply chain).

The direct water footprint represents the water footprint resulting from the operations of the company under study, that is, activities directly related to production or manufacturing and general expenses, for example, the water footprint of offices, public dining rooms or horticulture. The indirect water footprint represents the water footprint of the inputs and products used in the production activities of a company.

Understanding the cumulative image of water consumption and pollution can help identify business risks related to water and the strategic actions necessary to achieve sustainable use of water and the efficiency of water resources.

Leading companies around the world are realizing that they must manage these risks by putting the water footprint on their agendas, just as they do with their carbon footprint.

Source: Blueberriesconsulting.com - Martín Carrillo O.