Horrifying water footprints

We’ve mentioned a lot that the average person in the UK will use roughly 142 litres a day but that’s not the only water in use on our planet. Pretty much everything on the planet requires water in some way. Even things like electricals. Obviously, we don’t recommend that you give your laptop a bath. But water would have been needed in order to create it. That’s what hidden water is and these are the horrifying water footprints you need to know about.

Hidden water usage 

Now we’re aware that hidden water exists. What does it mean for our water usage? Well, it means that you might be really good at shortening your time in the shower, but if you’re buying almond milk (which is the most water-intensive milk in the world) then you’re potentially undoing your hard work. It’s just that the effects of doing so are impacting another part of the world, rather than the supply to your home. 

It is estimated that including hidden water usage, the average person will use nearly 3,000 litres of water a day. So, you can see the benefit of avoiding high water footprint items. You may look at this and go ‘what’s the point in saving 10 litres in my house if there are hundreds to be saved through products’. It’s all about looking at what we can and can’t control.

Looking at the entirety of your water footprint, yes only 142 litres is direct usage, but that’s what we have the most control over and is therefore the easiest to reduce. You can make lifestyle adjustments to use less hidden water too, but we’re aware this may be more challenging. Next, we’ll mention the biggest hidden water contributors to your water footprint so you can make some worthwhile changes. 

Hidden water in agriculture 

It may not come as a surprise, but agriculture is using a lot of hidden water. If you look at certain products on their own, comparing them individually, then vegetarian and vegan products tend to use less water. However, this doesn’t mean that all vegan and vegetarian products are good. Ultimately beef has a lot of hidden water because you need water to grow animal feed, keep the cows hydrated, then the process of bringing the beef to your home – including fuel for trucks, water to make plastic trays and the energy used to cool fridges. Yes, it all uses hidden water. 

To eat meat and save water, it’s about balance, reducing your intake and sourcing it locally. But what vegan and vegetarian products can have high hidden water usage? Eggs have high hidden water content – remember they’re coming from chickens. So yes, the same can be said for most dairy products. 

One product which may shock you is coffee. The UN estimates that it takes roughly 140 litres of water to grow the beans for just on single cup of coffee. Imagine that, doubling your water usage in a hidden water footprint cup of coffee. But agriculture isn’t the end of it… 

Hidden water in clothing  

You might see the term ‘organic cotton’ on some garments in the shops. We’re sorry to say, that you’re being greenwashed. Organic cotton does not necessarily look after our planet. Sustainable cotton is far better but cotton in itself is an incredibly water intensive product. A pair of jeans uses enough cotton for 8,000 litres of water. Fashion is thirsty work!  

The same can be said for a lot of clothing garments. The production of textiles is said to use around 93 billion cubic meters each year. A T-shirt uses roughly 2,700 litres of hidden water. There is no way around this, we can’t cut out clothing the same way we could meat. However, we can reduce demand for new clothes the same way we reduce demand for water in our homes by recycling pasta water for cleaning dishes. 

Foods that are harming drought stricken areas 

When it comes to food – we know that the meat industry can be harmful in a number of ways. But we’re specifically looking at water which means in drought prone regions, particular foods can be harmful, even if they’re not meat based. Take a look at these foods and then see where you can avoid them: 

• Almonds from California 
• Avocados from Chile 
• Sugarcane from Pakistan 
• Rice from India 
• Bananas from the Dominican Republic 

This doesn’t mean you should always avoid rice. But know that if it comes from India, specifically Punjab, it is drawing on incredibly limited resources and is severely harming the region surrounding it.

Now we’ve broadened your knowledge on water footprints – how does shortening your shower to 4 minutes feel? Achievable? We thought so! It’s far easier for us to control our water usage than where our rice is sourced from. While we commend every single person who goes out of their way to reduce their hidden water footprint, we know that realistically, changes at home are more in our control.