Water footprint

Water is the founda­tion of all life on Earth…

… and an indis­pensable resource for humans, animals and plants. Without water, we could not exist, because our bodies are made up of more than half water, which serves as a building material for cells and as a trans­port medium for nutri­ents and waste products. Water regulates our body tempe­ra­ture, supports diges­tion and is important for many vital processes such as the produc­tion of oxygen by plants.

When it comes to water requi­re­ments, the follo­wing catego­ries are distin­gu­ished:

Drinking water requi­re­ment

On average, we drink about 2 to 3 litres of water daily, because our body constantly needs water to maintain vital functions. Water is essen­tial for our health. This gives us a direct drinking water requi­re­ment of around 1,000 litres per year.

Direct water requi­re­ment

The direct water requi­re­ment includes only the water that is used directly from the tap. In addition to drinking water use, this also includes all domestic activi­ties. The largest share is accounted for by personal hygiene. This figure is appro­xi­m­ately 121 litres per day and corre­sponds to about 44,000 litres per year per person.

Water footprint: indirect water requi­re­ment

The indirect water requi­re­ment refers to the „virtual water“ needed to produce all consumed products, such as food, clothing, electro­nics and other goods. This also includes the water used in the produc­tion of imported goods. Indirect water consump­tion is many times higher than direct consump­tion. The total water footprint of a German is estimated at several million litres per year, with the majority accounted for by food produc­tion. This means that indirect water consump­tion amounts to several thousand litres per day, well above direct consump­tion.

Despite its apparent abundance, fresh water makes up only a very small share of the water on Earth, and of that only a fraction is usable as drinking water. Globally, water is unevenly distri­buted, and through overuse, pollu­tion and climate change this vital resource is incre­asingly under threat. Water is there­fore not only a basic substance of life, but also a valuable resource worthy of protec­tion, and sustainable manage­ment of it is of utmost importance for the survival of all living beings.