Blue water is consumption of surface and groundwater (freshwater removed from a catchment and not returned). Green water is consumption of rainwater stored in soil (mostly relevant for agriculture). Grey water is the freshwater required to dilute pollutants in discharged water back to safe concentrations. ISO 14046 requires reporting all three where applicable.
What is the difference between a water footprint and a carbon footprint?
A carbon footprint expresses climate impact as tonnes of CO2e. A water footprint expresses impact on freshwater resources as cubic meters of consumed water, weighted by local water scarcity. Water is a local resource, so a litre consumed in a water-stressed basin is much more impactful than the same litre consumed in a water-abundant one — scarcity weighting is essential.
How does ESRS E3 relate to ISO 14046?
ESRS E3 (Water and Marine Resources) requires disclosure of water withdrawal, discharge and consumption, especially at sites in areas of high water stress. It does not prescribe ISO 14046 but the methodology is the de facto reference for quantitative water accounting. A properly done ISO 14046 water footprint covers the ESRS E3 quantitative datapoints.
What is WRI Aqueduct?
WRI Aqueduct is a free global tool that maps water-related risks (baseline water stress, drought risk, flood risk, seasonal variability) at the catchment level. It is widely used to identify facilities in high- or extremely-high water stress areas, which triggers additional disclosure requirements under ESRS E3 and CDP Water Security.
Who has to disclose water data to CDP?
CDP Water Security disclosure is requested from companies in water-intensive sectors and any company asked by a CDP supply chain member or signatory investor. From 2024, Water Security is Module 9 of the unified CDP Corporate Questionnaire and is integrated with the climate and forests modules for cross-theme consistency.
Can Formist calculate a water footprint from my utility bills?
Yes. Formist reads utility bills, meter readings and process data to compute water withdrawal, discharge and consumption per site, applies WRI Aqueduct scarcity factors, and outputs an ISO 14046-aligned water footprint. The same data populates ESRS E3 datapoints and CDP Water Security Module 9.