The modern smartphone, a device that fits easily into a hand, represents an immense concentration of manufacturing and material effort. While the finished product appears clean and streamlined, its creation is an extremely resource-intensive process that consumes surprising volumes of water. This water consumption is hidden from the consumer, taking place across a global supply chain long before the device ever reaches a store shelf. The journey from raw earth minerals to a functioning device requires significant water at every stage.
Understanding the Virtual Water Footprint
The amount of water required to make a product is often measured using the concept of a “virtual water footprint.” This term refers to the total volume of freshwater used to produce a commodity, encompassing all steps in the production chain, not just the water contained within the final item. Calculating this footprint typically involves a “cradle-to-gate” assessment, which accounts for water use from the initial extraction of raw materials up to the point the finished product leaves the factory.
This comprehensive water usage is categorized into three types. The blue water footprint accounts for water drawn from surface or groundwater sources, such as rivers or aquifers, that is either consumed or not returned to its source. Green water is the rainwater stored in soil that is used by plants. The grey water footprint represents the volume of freshwater needed to dilute pollutants generated during production to meet acceptable water quality standards.
The Total Water Volume Required
The water volume needed to create a single smartphone is substantial, with estimates consistently placing the figure in the thousands of gallons. Scientific studies suggest that manufacturing one device requires approximately 12,000 to 16,000 liters of water. This range covers the entire spectrum of production activities, from mining to final assembly.
To put this volume into perspective, 15,000 liters is roughly the equivalent of running a standard shower continuously for over 12 hours. This water consumption is also comparable to the amount of drinking water a person would consume over an eight-year period. The environmental burden of the device is primarily tied to its manufacturing phase, rather than its use over its lifetime.
Water Use in Raw Material Extraction
The vast majority of a smartphone’s water footprint, often exceeding 80%, originates in the sourcing and processing of its raw materials. A typical smartphone contains over 60 different elements, many of which are metals and rare earth minerals that must be extracted from the earth. The mining and refining processes for these materials are extremely water-intensive.
The extraction of metals like copper, gold, and cobalt requires large volumes of water for various tasks at the mine site. Water is used to cool the heavy machinery, suppress dust clouds created by drilling and blasting, and separate the desired minerals from the bulk ore through techniques like flotation or leaching. Lithium extraction, especially in South America’s “lithium triangle,” often involves pumping brine into large surface evaporation ponds, a process that consumes significant water resources in already arid regions.
Component Manufacturing
The manufacturing of complex components, particularly the semiconductor microchips and display screens, also demands massive amounts of water. Microchip fabrication facilities, or “fabs,” require ultra-pure water to clean and rinse the silicon wafers and circuitry to prevent microscopic contamination. A single microchip may need to be rinsed dozens of times, resulting in a single large fab consuming millions of gallons of water daily. The production of specialized plastics and polymers for the device casing and internal components further adds to the water footprint through chemical synthesis and cooling requirements.
Reducing the Water Footprint
Industry leaders are focusing on implementing closed-loop systems and sustainable sourcing initiatives to address this water dependency. Companies are investing in advanced water treatment and recycling technologies to reuse wastewater from manufacturing processes for cooling or non-contact uses. This approach helps to minimize the withdrawal of fresh water from local ecosystems.
Consumers also play a role in reducing the overall water footprint of technology by focusing on device longevity. Extending the lifespan of a smartphone by even one year significantly reduces the demand for newly manufactured devices and the associated water consumption from raw material extraction. Furthermore, participating in e-waste recycling programs allows valuable materials like gold and silver to be recovered and reintroduced into the supply chain, lessening the need for new mining operations that consume large quantities of water.