1,585
gallons of water per item, global average
One item: one cotton bath towel (about 1.3 lb)
The same volume as
🥛
25,360
Glass of Water (8 oz)
🍶
12,680
Water Bottle (16 oz)
About this figure
A cotton bath towel of about 1.3 pounds embeds about 1,600 gallons. Estimated from the WFN cotton figure of about 1,198 gallons per pound. Source: Water Footprint Network (Mekonnen and Hoekstra), per-item estimate. Figures are global-average total water footprints (green, blue and grey water) per item. They are not California-specific and are on a different basis from the crop sheets, which show California irrigation water applied per serving.
Sources
Global-average water footprints per item: Water Footprint Network (Mekonnen and Hoekstra) for cotton, leather and paper goods, applied to typical item mass; item-specific life-cycle assessments for the smartphone, silicon wafer, desktop computer, car, disposable diaper and bottled water, as named on each sheet.
Figures as of September 10, 2026.
How to cite
Everyday Goods Water Fact Sheet: Cotton Bath Towel. conciseVerbosity, September 10, 2026. https://api.conciseverbosity.com/water-facts/goods/cotton-bath-towel.html