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Which Industries Use the Most Water?

Kristin Manganello, Tracey Schelmetic
12/22/2023 | 5 min read
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Which Industries Use the Most Water?

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Kekyalyaynen

Research shows that industrial water consumption is a major drain on the world’s limited water supply. There are varying degrees of water use and some industries consume far more than others. The aim to reduce water usage is front and center in terms of sustainability, but let’s first explore which sectors are consuming the most

So how do industries that use a lot of water stack up in their usage habits, and which sectors are doing the most for conservation? Some industries have immense water consumption, whereas others are starting to focus on sustainability, much of which includes eliminating water waste and using it more consciously. 

Water Shortages and the Goal to Reduce Water Use

By 2030, water demand is expected to exceed current supply by 40%, according to the Water Resources Group, an arm of the World Bank. “In many parts of the world, water scarcity is increasing, and rates of growth in agricultural production have been slowing,” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a World Water Day address in March 2012.

“At the same time, climate change is exacerbating risk and unpredictability for farmers, especially for poor farmers in low-income countries. …These interlinked challenges are increasing competition between communities and countries for scarce water resources, aggravating old security dilemmas, creating new ones, and hampering the achievement of the fundamental human rights to food, water, and sanitation.”

Although these words were spoken in 2012, their message still rings true today. Experts say that water shortages aren’t solely due to climate change — water scarcity is also caused by the mismanagement of existing water resources in water-intensive industries.

A better awareness surrounding water consumption is also necessary. Present and future generations will continue to be affected by water pollution and water scarcity as will companies if it’s not managed carefully. 

The Biggest Water-Using Industries

In a benchmark 2010 report titled “Direct and Indirect Water Withdrawals for U.S. Industrial Sectors,” civil engineers at Carnegie Mellon University reported that the agricultural and industrial sectors accounted for approximately 90% of direct water withdrawals. According to the United Nations World Water Development Report of 2018, this number remains largely unchanged.

Water withdrawal depends on the industry. For instance, nuclear power plants and their cooling towers or pulp and paper mills have much higher water use than what other industries consume. 

From textile manufacturing to the meat industry, this is an introduction to the industries and production processes that have the highest level of industrial water use. 

Agricultural and Industrial Sectors: Fruit and Vegetable Farming

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Snap Fusion Media

According to the Carnegie Mellon report, while meat farming is often targeted as an energy- and carbon-intensive sector, it actually shows up lower on the list in terms of water use per dollar of economic output than fruit, grain, and vegetable farming.

Notoriously thirsty cash crops like wheat, corn, rice, cotton, and sugarcane lead the pack in water usage. For example, the report revealed that a single 5-pound bag of refined white sugar uses about 88 gallons of water, most of it from the farming of sugarcane and sugar beets. Better technology and irrigation management would go a long way toward solving some of these problems.

Many farms are investing in advanced technologies for water management. These hardware- and software-based solutions use remote sensing data and satellite images to measure factors such as evaporation and yield, identifying areas where water use is productive and areas where it’s wasted.

Textiles and Garments

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Hien Phung Thu

The textile industry is one of the most water-intensive industries worldwide. For example, according to the Water Footprint Network, in conjunction with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) IHE Institute for Water Education, creating a single pair of jeans requires about 2,866 gallons of water

This high water demand is primarily needed in industrial facilities for what’s known as “wet processing,” as well as in the fabric dyeing process.

However, the fashion industry is starting to adopt a more environmentally conscious approach to water usage. Fashion designers such as Stella McCartney and major clothing retailers like H&M, for example, have cracked down on their supply chains, committing themselves to only suppliers and farmers that adhere to sustainable practices.

Meat Production

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Foto 4440

While fruit and vegetable agriculture uses more water than meat production, the meat industry still uses large quantities of water in its supply chain. 

According to a 2012 study, “A Global Assessment of the Water Footprint of Farm Animal Products,” by Mesfin M. Mekonnen and Arjen Y. Hoekstra of the University of Twente in the Netherlands, “the total water footprint of animal production constitutes 29% of the water footprint of total agricultural production,” around the world, with one-third of that water use going towards raising beef cattle.

Beverage Industry

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Parilov

The beverage industry is likely an unsurprising one when it comes to total water use. It’s another water-intensive industry because it includes sodas, beers, juices, and other drinks — all products that consist mostly of water. 

Yet it isn’t necessarily the production and bottling processes that are to blame — it’s actually the agricultural aspect of the industry. The beverage industry requires farmed products such as sugar, barley, coffee, chocolate, lemons, vanilla, and other plant-derived ingredients. 

All in all, it takes between 180 and 328 gallons of water to produce a 2-liter bottle of soda in the beverage sector, 20 gallons of water to make a pint of beer, and nearly 37 gallons of water to produce the ingredients to make a single cup of coffee, according to the Water Footprint Network.

Automotive Manufacturing

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Boragoo

The next time you drive your car, consider this: It takes about 39,000 gallons of water to produce the average domestic vehicle, including the tires. It’s a large level of water consumption, especially for just one automobile, therefore earning it a spot on this list.

Major water uses in the automotive manufacturing industry include surface treatment and coating, paint spray booths, washing/rinsing/hosing, cooling, air conditioning systems, and boiler use.

Industry Awareness Around the World’s Limited Water Supply

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Kamol Jindamanee

In recent years, these industries have become much more aware of the negative impact they have on the global water supply. The World Resources Institute, a research organization focused on sustainability initiatives and resource management, reports that over a billion people live in regions where water is scarce, and that up to 3.5 billion may suffer the same fate by 2025.

Major companies around the world that rely heavily on water for their products have started to commit to water conservation initiatives. Some focuses are to reduce water entirely, cutting down on high volumes of it being used. Others aim to improve water treatment or discover how to save water or reuse it post-processing.

Companies Reviewing Their Industrial Water Usage 

One of those companies is Coca-Cola, which is focusing on multiple levels of its vast supply chain. “Our objective is by 2020 to have safely returned to nature an amount of water equal to what we use in our production,” their website states.

Since embarking on this objective in 2004, the company has worked on 209 community water projects and has restored approximately 153.6 million liters of water back to the environment, as well as to the global communities that work for them. On top of that, in 2014, Coca-Cola was able to return about 126.7 billion liters of water through wastewater treatment.

Meanwhile, iconic jean manufacturer Levi Strauss has also begun its own sustainability initiatives; in 2005, the company co-founded the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) to improve global cotton production practices, and by 2020, Levi hopes to be sourcing 100% of its cotton through initiatives like BCI or from recycled cotton sources.

Some automotive manufacturers have also answered the call. One of the most water-conscious automakers is PSA Peugeot Citroën. While the company uses about 20 million cubic meters of water each year, it strives to clean and return all of it to the environment, purifying the water it uses at all stages of production, including cooling welding machinery, washing sheet steel, painting, and water tightness testing.

However, for the most water-intensive industries, the solution is far more complicated. The global agricultural industry, for instance, must plan for supplying food to an ever-increasing population, which is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050.

Solutions for Excessive Water Consumption

Image Credit: Shutterstock / Alexey Fedorenko

To address this, the last few years have seen an explosion in available resources. For example, the aforementioned World Resources Institute is one of many organizations working closely with governments, businesses, and municipalities to develop better water management strategies, which are designed to benefit businesses and the planet simultaneously. 

There are also a number of water metering, water accounting, footprinting, and life cycle assessment tools available for all kinds of sectors from agriculture to the energy industry.

Systems for Water Consumption

There has been a lot more research into creating new systems that focus on environmental integration and sustainability. The U.N. outlined several nature-based systems that utilize natural ecosystems for water resource management.

It can be difficult to create new systems and structures that will work for many industries. What may work for power plants and the energy industry, might not best serve the fashion industry. Each will have to find ways of increasing water efficiency and reducing water waste.

As the global population grows, the water required to sustain life and businesses will grow with it. This means water consumption, water scarcity, and water efficiency will continue to remain a pertinent topic.

This article was originally written by Tracey Schelmetic in July 2011 and was updated by Kristin Manganello in March 2019 and by Melissa Epifano Varley in November 2023.

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