Water footprint

A measure of freshwater used directly and indirectly to produce goods or services. It includes water consumed and, in some accounting methods, water polluted during production.

Green water: Rainwater stored in soil and used by plants. It accounts for rain-fed crop water consumed through evapotranspiration.
Water footprint assessment: A method for quantifying and assessing water footprints across activities, products, or organizations. It sets the accounting boundary and evaluation steps behind a footprint result.
Product water footprint: The total freshwater use associated with producing a specified product. It applies footprint accounting to a single good across its production chain.
Water scarcity: A condition in which water demand exceeds available supply or access is constrained. A large footprint matters most when its water use occurs in scarce places.
Blue water: Fresh surface water and groundwater used by people and ecosystems. It tracks water withdrawn from rivers, lakes, and aquifers for production.
Life-cycle assessment: A method for assessing environmental impacts across a product’s life cycle. Its supply-chain approach can be used to calculate product water footprints.
Corporate water footprint: The direct and indirect freshwater use associated with a company’s operations and supply chain. It translates the measure to organizational reporting and supply-chain management.
Water stress: Pressure on freshwater resources from demand, pollution, or limited availability. Footprint impacts depend on the stress experienced where water is used.
Grey water footprint: An estimate of freshwater needed to dilute pollutants to specified water-quality standards. It represents the pollution component in the commonly used three-part footprint.
Supply chain: The network of organizations and activities involved in producing and delivering a product. Indirect water use accumulates across the stages and suppliers in this network.

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