Ethical shopping just got harder. The concept of water footprints will tell consumers the amount of precious H2O that has been used in the manufacture of products they buy. As with carbon footprints, the message is clear: less is better. A website of the University of Twente (NL) gives consumers a chance to work out the hidden implications of their shopping habits. Groceries, clothes, stationery and electrical goods are evaluated with a water footprint calculator. In each case, the water footprint covers both the manufacture and transport of the goods. The results are striking. An apple weighing 100 g has a water footprint of 70 litres, while a 125 ml cup of coffee has a water footprint twice that size, 140 litres. But the water used in producing wheat or meat is much greater. According to a worldwide league table the US is the biggest offender, with a water footprint of close to 2,500 cubic metres per year per person, while Italy is a close second. Britain’s water footprint is relatively modest at 1,245 cubic metres per year per person. The calculations are complicated, but for consumers who want to minimise their water wastage, there remains a simple motto to live by: always recycle. A cotton shirt, for example, has a water footprint of 2,700 litres, counting the water evaporated in irrigating and growing the cotton, as well as the water needed to wash away fertilisers. Recycling such products could make the Earth’s water resources go much, much further. (Amol Rajan, The Independent) 5 10 15 20 25 30 Reading: Forget carbon – Check your water footprint! Read the text about the concept of water footprints, then choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D) for questions 1–5. Put a cross ( ✘) in the correct box. The first one (0) has been done for you. 4 0 The concept of water footprints a) will help manufacturers to sell more food. b) will not make ethical shopping easier. c) will help consumers to buy more food products. d) will help consumers to learn more about the food they buy. ✘ 1 A website set up by the University of Twente a) helps consumers to find out if they are shopaholics. b) shows people the amount of water it takes to manufacture a product including transport costs. c) covers all implications of electrical goods. d) gives consumers the chance to learn more about the products they want to buy. 2 The results show that a) apples weigh 100 g or more. b) the production of wheat or meat needs less water than the production of apples. c) a 125 ml cup of coffee has 200 per cent of the water footprint of an apple weighing 100 g. d) an apple weighing 100 g has twice the water footprint of a 125 ml cup of coffee. 3 Scientists have a) created a survey showing the water footprint of various countries. b) found out that Italians use more water per capita than the US. c) found out that the annual water footprint of the British capital is 1,254 cubic metres. d) shown that the US water consumption per head is half the one of Italy. 4 The calculations are complicated a) because they minimise recycling. b) but they show one clear message: water must be reused if possible. c) because cotton shirts have a water footprint of 2,700 litres. d) because water is needed to wash away chemicals. 5 Recycling products a) would increase production. b) cover two-thirds of the worlds production. c) could make the Earth’s water resources last longer. d) makes water more precious than ever before. 41 Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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