Hello everyone, we are students from Croatia: Fran Medarić, Mislav Ižaković and Lovro Pištelek. In this episode of the podcast about water footprint we are going to talk about facts and data regarding water footprint.
So first let’s talk about water footprint in general. The water footprint is an environmental indicator that measures the amount of water used to produce each of the goods and services we use. At home for example we use water for flushing toilets, showering, cooking. Water is also used in agriculture, mostly for watering, and it is also used for making products or clothing. Water footprint can also be measured for multi-national companies. If we take chocolate for example, it has a water footprint of around 17000 litres per kg (according to Water footprint network) the same as leather. Most water is used in agriculture, over 70%, and the product that has by far the biggest water footprint are vanilla beans with a footprint of 126,505 litres per kg. That is a lot compared to the fact that an average human drinks 3.7 litres of water a day.
As I’ve mentioned, companies can also have a water footprint of their own and the one with a large water footprint is Coca-Cola. It operates over a thousand manufacturing plants in about 200 countries, which is why its water consumption is so high. The company has decided to reduce its water footprint and make sure water goes back to the environment in a clean state. Its goal is to also find sustainable sources for the raw materials it uses in its drinks. By improving their water footprint, not only do they help improve the environment, but they can also reduce their cost for production, and benefit the communities in which it operates.
There are three types of water footprint, we have green, blue and grey water footprint. Green refers to the rainwater and soil moisture consumed by plants and crops in their cultivation, blue refers to irrigation from surface water and groundwater that is consumed during cultivation and grey water footprint refers to the freshwater required to dilute pollution and bring the water resource up to safe water quality standards. In the 9-year period studied, wheat growing produced 70% of the green, 19% of the blue and 11% of the grey water footprint.
We use water a lot more than you think, and you’d be surprised to hear the numbers. The average global water footprint of an individual is 1385 m3 per year which shows that we use a lot of water daily, mostly in an indirect way which is needed to produce or grow things we use. We can also use water in a direct way (from faucet or hose), which you’ll hear about in the next podcast. In some countries the water footprint is much bigger, like for example India, China, Brazil, Russia, Indonesia and the USA, which has the highest water footprint of around 2800 m3. The reason these countries have such high water footprints are river basins located in them, such as the Mississippi, Yangtze, Indus and Parana. Since water is not an infinite source, we should reduce our water footprints as much as we can by being careful when using water in our households. You can also replace your diet. A water footprint of 200 grams of beef is equivalent to 47 eight-minute showers and uses four times more water than the same amount of chicken meat. By eating chicken instead of beef, you can reduce your water footprint by 450 m3 a year. By choosing the products you buy wisely, you can make a big difference. Thank you for listening and goodbye.
Alessandro: Welcome to the podcast “water footprint”; in this episode, we’re going to talk about water footprint in our houses. We are the Italian students of the international group working on the CiELO project. I’m Alessandro Torromino and with me are Emanuele Bianchi -good morning, and Pietropaolo Amoruso – good morning. First of all we have to distinguish between the water we directly use, and the water embodied in products we buy. Today we are going to talk only about the water we directly use in our houses, how to try to use less of it or to reuse it when possible.
Emanuele: So we are NOT talking about the water used by industries, irrigation and so on… but we are considering the water we use to cook our food, to flush the toilets, to shower, brush our teeth and so on. Do you know how much water we use in our homes every day?
Pietro: Yes Emanuele, according to The Italian National Institute of Statistics( ISTAT) , the average daily consumption of water in 2021 has been 236 litres per person, but it varies a lot among Italian cities, passing from a minimum of about 120 litres to a maximum value of 450 litres.
Alessandro: There is a lot of variation in water house consumption also among European countries. You can have a look on our microsites at the map showing the tap water consumption in Europe: We pass from 243 Litres per person per day, in Italy, to just 50 litres in Malta! So all these data show that it is possible to use less water.
Emanuele: Yes, but we should also say that these figures take into account also the water that is lost during the pipelines! This is also a value that is difficult to compute and varies a lot among European countries. In Italy, for example, it is estimated that on average, more than 30% of tap water is lost due to water leakage.
Alessandro: Let’s get back with some advices
Pietropaolo: So we all agree that we should try to use less water in our homes, but what can we actually do to save water?
Alessandro: We are going to give you some advice: some of these you may already know, but we hope you will discover something new. Are you ready? Prefer the shower to the bath, about half water is consumed… but do not spend too much time in there, if you like to sing along, one song is enough! If your shower has a low-flow showerhead (I hope it has), water flows at about 9 litres per minute. It doubles with the old conventional showerhead.
Emanuele: Do not use the toilet as a garbage can: every time you flush the toilet, an average of 7 litres of water goes away
Pietropaolo: Prefer the dishwasher to washing dishes by hand: less water is wasted. However, this only works if we run it at full load!
Alessandro: Turn off the tap when not needed, for example, while brushing your teeth or shaving
Emanuele: Water the garden plants and balcony flowers in the evening: you will save water (which does not evaporate)
Pietropaolo: If you are willing to buy a new dishwasher or a new washing machine, look at the energy label! It shows you both the energy AND the water consumption. And, of course, do not use it to wash just a couple of shirts! Run it at full load, or, choose a program that does not use more water than what is needed
Alessandro: In new houses, there is the possibility to install appliances that collect used water, treat it, and let you use it again for other uses. Unfortunately, it is too difficult or too expensive to install these systems in existing houses. But if you will ever consider building a new house, or in case of a significant renovation, consider installing these appliances! We think you have an idea now. The bottom line is: consider water as it is: precious.
Emanuele: Thank you for listening, we hope you enjoyed this episode. Bye from Alessandro, Pietro, Emanuele.
Music: Zelda and Chill – Fairy Fountain – Mikel Lofi Remix
Speaker 1: Hello! My name is Greta Šlėderytė.
Speaker 2: Hi, I am Austėja Veiverytė! And we are from Lithuania!
Speaker 1: Our today’s topic is water footprint and circular economy. So Austėja, why is water footprint becoming such a big issue nowadays?
Speaker 2: Well, water is essential for every human being. Every year we consume more and more of it. Because water is a limited resource, there might be water shortage in the future. That’s why we need to manage our water consumption and reduce water footprint.
Speaker 1: Since it is becoming a very big issue, we must find solutions on how to reduce the water footprint.
Speaker 2: One of the best ways is circular economy. Greta, do you know what it is?
Speaker 1: Of course, I do! Circular economy is an economic system, in which various resources are handled in more responsible way in order to extend product lifetime and recirculate all materials without producing any waste.
Speaker 2: I know that circular economy contributes to water footprint reduction, but I don’t understand how. Could you explain, please?
Speaker 1: Well, since the main circular economy principles are reducing, reusing and recycling, by applying these principles to our daily lives everyone can contribute to water footprint reduction.
Speaker 2: Many people don’t realise the actual impact that the water footprint leaves. For example, let’s take clothes. Globally, the fashion industry consumes an estimated 79 billion cubic metres of fresh water annually. According to the World Wildlife Fund, 2700 Litres of water is required to make a cotton t-shirt. This amount of water is enough for one man to survive for two and a half years.
Speaker 1: This is so terrible. I think more people should know about these numbers, so they would realise the actual threat that the water footprint poses. Perhaps people would start to take action themselves?
Speaker 2: Maybe. In my opinion, we should start buying used clothes instead of buying brand-new ones and chasing fashion trends. That will lessen the demand for new clothes and as a result, the supply of them will decrease.
Speaker 1: Yes, you are talking about circular economy here! This is one of the possible approaches – trying to reuse things.
Speaker 2: It is not the only possibility. Circular economy also encourages to use less resources, or at least more eco- friendly materials.
Speaker 1: So you should also be aware of this when you are buying clothes and other stuff.
Speaker 2: Yes, let’s try to buy products that are certified with ecolabels, or at least that are designed to be easily reused and recycled.
Speaker 1: I totally agree with you, that would be a great starting point for everyone.
Speaker 2: As W. H. Auden said “Water is the soul of the Earth”. We all should treasure it and do everything in our power to save it.
Speaker 1: We can do so much together, but to actually make it happen we must start now!
Speaker 2: I totally agree. Thank you for having this conversation with me!
Speaker 1: Thank you too! See you next time.
Speaker 2: Thank you for listening. Good bye!
Speaker 1: Well, hello, we are group number?
Speaker 2: 12!
Speaker 1: From?
Speaker 2: Romania!
Speaker 1: We are Amalia Ducu, Vivien Olah and Mark Craciun!
Speaker 2: How have you guys been lately?
Speaker 1: Good, good.
Speaker 2: So, what is our topic for discussion today?
Speaker 1: The others have talked about what is water footprint, a bit about circular economy and how to reduce WF in our house.
Speaker 2: So, what are our solutions to these issues?
Speaker 1: We have yet to develop an adequate solution. There do exist multiple approaches to this problem.
Speaker 2: Such as?
Speaker 1: Well, first, governments must set water footprint limitations for all catchments across the world. Such limitations are required to regulate water usage in each water basin.
Speaker 2: Will all water be utilised?
Speaker 1: Not at all, a certain amount of water must be preserved in order to sustain ecosystems and biodiversity. It also affects the livelihoods of people living downstream.
Speaker 2: But what if there is a high demand?
Speaker 1: There will be “water footprint permits” provided to individual users that will not exceed the restrictions. Only in this manner can we ensure that the sum of water consumption and pollution loads remain below sustainable limits.
Speaker 2: Well that will satisfy individual users, but what about the demand for sourcing raw materials and product manufacturing?
Speaker 1: Good point! Well, I guess the next step is to develop water footprint benchmarks for all water-intensive requirements, such as agriculture and industry. We must encourage the finest possible technology and practises that result in the least amount of water use and pollution.
Speaker 2: But how will that help?
Speaker 1: We will have a gauge of what are appropriate levels of water consumption using water footprint benchmarks for products, including for each step of a product’s supply chain.
Speaker 2: That’s good! Customers should be better educated and have more options.
Speaker 1: Exactly, choosing a good quality sustainable product today is a challenge for most of us. Governments must promote more product transparency by requiring corporations to demonstrate compliance with specified minimum production norms.
Speaker 2: So, what can we do?
Speaker 1: Educate. Encourage more equitable water consumption across communities. Consumers in Southern and Eastern Europe have roughly double the worldwide average water footprint.
Speaker 2: The amount of water available per person on the planet is finite, so we must share it.
Speaker 1: Exactly, and we have to agree on what levels of water consumption per person are reasonable.
Speaker 2: But won’t this stur up different viewpoints and cause political scandals? Who decides and who gets to use more water?
Speaker 1: As we seek a solution to the difficulties of climate change, we may expect similar issues and compromises. Because of predicted population growth, average yearly consumption per person will have to decline from 1,385 cubic metres in 2022 to 835 cubic metres by 2100 if we wish to stabilise our overall water footprint and prevent it from increasing further. We can easily exist on that quantity of water, but many of us will need to change our habits in order to minimise our direct and indirect water use.
Speaker 2: So can I make a difference?
Speaker 1: Yes, we can only try and do our best to make this problem more known. I believe that every small contribution makes the difference in the grand scheme of things.
Speaker 2: Wow, I never really thought of that.
Speaker 1: Well, thank you for tuning in
Croatia: Mislav Ižaković, Fran Medarić, Lovro Pištelek
Romania: Amalia Ducu, Vivien Olah, Mark Crăciun
Lithuania: Austėja Veiverytė, Greta Šlėderytė
Italy: Alessandro Torromino, Emanuele Filiberto Bianchi, Pietro Paolo Amoruso
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