Water Stewardship
Baseline analysis, strategies, implementation plans, and stakeholder engagement for businesses seeking to support their water stewardship programs.
- Water + Nature
Implementation Solution
Better for business, better for the planet.
Two pathways:
Begin your stewardship journey
Ready to take the lead in water stewardship? Let’s start with a comprehensive baseline analysis to uncover your unique water risks, challenges, and opportunities. From there, we’ll craft tailored strategies and an actionable plan to activate your goals and showcase your leadership in sustainable water practices.
Continuously improve your program
We provide hands-on technical support to strengthen and optimize your existing water stewardship program. Our team works with you to enhance performance, drive continuous improvement, reduce risks and ensure your stewardship program delivers measurable impact and long-term resilience.
Key Benefits
Understand Risk Areas
Determine Priority Focus Areas
Establish Industry Leadership
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of water stewardship programs do you help companies prepare for?
We provide support for various water stewardship programs, including Water Accounting and Valuation for Ecosystem Services (WAVE), Alliance for Water Stewardship AWS, and CDP Water.
How can Water Accounting and Valuation for Ecosystem Services (WAVE) benefit my organization?
Leverage WAVE (Water Stewardship Verified) program from The Water Council, to identify water-related risks, implement strategic actions, and gain verified credibility that drives operational resilience and competitive advantage. WAVE consists of two programs, Assess and Action which together reduce costs, mitigate risks, improve operational resilience, and allow your organization to publicly showcase verified water stewardship achievements.
- WAVE: Assess, your organization gains access to a robust water risk assessment that maps operational water use and impacts, prioritizes sites based on risk, and helps establish credible water policies and public commitments.
- WAVE: Action, the program guides you in setting meaningful targets to address high-priority water risks, implementing data monitoring and reporting protocols, and engaging stakeholders on shared basin challenges.
What is Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS), and how can it help my organization?
AWS is a global water stewardship standard that helps organizations understand and address water-related risks. Achieving AWS certification demonstrates a commitment to responsible water stewardship and management. In general, water stewardship programs deliver credible, third-party validated frameworks that address the credibility gap plaguing sustainability claims. Water stewardship certifications provide:
- Stakeholder Credibility: Third-party verification that withstands investor and NGO scrutiny
- Operational Excellence: Frameworks that drive systematic water efficiency improvements and cost savings
- Risk Mitigation: Structured approaches to managing water-related operational risks in water-stressed regions
- Regulatory Readiness: Preparation for emerging water disclosure requirements
- License to Operate: Demonstrate responsible stewardship to communities in water-scarce areas
- Brand Differentiation: Credible certifications in industries where water stewardship is material
How does water stewardship create business value and strengthen our competitive advantage?
Water stewardship is the responsible use and management of water resources in a way that is socially equitable, environmentally sustainable, and economically beneficial. It’s about understanding water-related risks and opportunities across your operations, supply chain, and communities, and taking action to protect shared water resources. The business value of stewardship includes mitigating risk, driving efficiency, enhancing reputation, ensuring resilience, and supporting growth.
Why is stakeholder engagement so critical to a successful stewardship program?
Stakeholder engagement is critical for water stewardship because it reduces operational and reputational risks while strengthening a company’s license to operate. By aligning decisions with local realities and co-creating solutions to shared water challenges, businesses enhance resilience, protect supply chains, and position themselves as credible sustainability leaders by driving long-term competitive advantage.