What is a Water Footprint (WF)?
Everything we use, wear, buy, sell and eat takes water to make.
The total amount of freshwater used in their production is referred to as a water footprint, which measures both the water consumed and the water polluted throughout the entire production process. This concept helps us understand the impact of our choices on global water resources. It can be applied at different levels, from individual products – such as calculating the water footprint of a cotton shirt – to agricultural processes like growing wheat or rice. It also extends to businesses and industries, assessing the amount of water a company consumes across its operations and even to entire regions and countries, evaluating the water footprint of a river basin or nation to identify broader water use patterns.
We can work towards more sustainable water use and conservation efforts by analysing water footprints.
The Compensation Framework
After assessing its water footprint, an organisation must identify its avoidable footprint – the portion that can be reduced through measures such as water use avoidance, reuse, and efficiency improvements. The residual footprint represents the unavoidable water usage required for producing goods and delivering services. This unavoidable volume is determined after establishing the water footprint benchmark that is based on best practices and the latest data.
To tackle this residual footprint, organisations can invest in verified water restoration and conservation projects through water footprint compensation. These projects generate Credit Aqua Positive (CAPs) – water credits earned through scientifically validated methods and verified by independent agencies. Each CAP represents 1,000 cubic meters of restored or conserved water.
Organisations can access these projects through the water footprint compensation platform.