What's the water footprint of a can of Coke?

Thirty-five liters of fresh water are needed to produce just one half liter of Coca Cola,

according to a report issued by the company with the Nature Conservancy, a worldwide land and water protection agency based in Arlington, Va.

The same report found 640 liters of freshwater are used to produce one liter of Orange Juice.

It's statistics like these and consumers growing water scarcity concerns in dryer regions, that will bring water conservation issues to the forefront in the near future, says Jason Morrison, program director at the Pacific Institute, an Oakland, Calif.-based research company that focuses on sustainability issues. "All it takes is one prolonged dry period to get people talking about water pretty quickly," he says. "Our research shows that most consumers believe businesses should not only engage in water conservation practices but also be part of the overall solution concerning water quality and water access issues community wide."

Water footprinting – think of it like carbon footprinting—is an attempt to try and quantify the water use of an organization, product or locality. Increasingly, he says, investors are including high water dependence as a potential risk when evaluating potential ventures. 

Expect more food manufacturers to invest in cutting water use, but don't look for a water footprint label, which would actually require water to be created.