Today, it is possible to measure and communicate the carbon footprint of a product, and electrical and electronic equipment is labelled with its energy efficiency rating. When it comes to water consumption, however, there is no single system of measurement and labelling for products. Furthermore, classifying the sustainability of water use can be more complicated. It is crucial to have a system to determine whether the water used in processes that generate wastewater is cleaned and reused or disposed of. 

Although the overall picture of water use has an impact on how sustainable the company’s water usage is, this is not easy for customers and consumers to fully understand. Transparency and clear labelling, in combination with responsible water usage, can therefore generate competitive advantages and legitimacy, as well as enable consumers to make informed decisions.

At Vilokan, we recognised there are huge gains to be made by developing universal labelling schemes that clearly indicate the total water footprint of products.

That way, decisions about cleaning and reusing water can reduce the impacts and ensure better labelling. Independent auditing bodies could ensure the validity and legitimacy of the information.

Guidelines on which processes can be declared sustainable could be established through cross-sector collaborations. Creating agreements on the criteria a company must meet in order for it to be allowed to market its water usage as closed loop will make it easy for a company to evaluate its operations and plan improvements.

A water labelling system would be a major step forward when it comes to protecting the world’s water.