<p>Water is a necessary resource for many human activities, and its scarcity becomes a serious problem when its demand exceeds supply. In recognition of the importance of water and its central role in sustainable development, there is an increasing focus on assessing the water footprint (H₂O_FP) of products and services in various industries. However, there has been no comprehensive H₂O_FP study conducted on fatty acids, the powerhouse of the oleochemical industry. To bridge this gap, a detailed assessment of fatty acid produced by Malaysian oleochemical manufacturers was performed using AWARE methodology. The assessment covered both ‘cradle-to-gate’ and ‘gate-to-gate’ system boundaries, including the upstream processes from palm oil production to fatty acid production. Based on cradle-to-gate, over 90% H₂O_FP of the crude palm kernel oil (CPKO)-based fatty acids comes from the production of CPKO especially during the milling phase with an additional environmental impact from the fertiliser at the plantation stage. While, production of refined, bleached, and deodorised palm stearin (RBDPS) contributed more than 90% H₂O_FP for the production of RBDPS-based fatty acids. In the gate-to-gate analysis, the H₂O_FP of fatty acids was mainly influenced by water used in processing, energy consumption, and chemical applications. The study indicated that the H₂O_FP for producing 1&#xa0;kg of fatty acid ranged from 0.87 to 132.24&#xa0;m³, with less than 1% of total H₂O_FP belonging to fatty acid production alone. The findings from this study provide valuable data to develop water management strategies in the oleochemical supply chain and support future sustainability efforts in fatty acid production.</p>