Water & Climate
WATER AND CLIMATE
Water is the medium through which climate change impacts are felt the most. Climate change is intensifying the water cycle, making extreme weather events such as droughts and floods more likely and more severe with each degree of global warming.
Roughly half of the world’s population is experiencing water scarcity for at least part of the year, while about two billion people don’t have adequate access to safe drinking water. These numbers are expected to increase, exacerbated by climate change and population growth.
The good news is that water can also play a prominent role in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Water-related actions, such as protecting and restoring wetlands, peatlands and freshwater ecosystems are ‘win-win’ nature-based solutions, bringing multiple benefits in biodiversity, climate resilience and sustainability. At a broader level, water can serve as a connector across industries and sectors, and between global agendas.
WHY WATER STEWARDSHIP?
Stewardship is about working collaboratively to conserve a finite resource that we do not own but that we all depend on.
For businesses, water stewardship means thinking beyond the fence line and working with others to understand the wider, longer-term impacts of their water use and taking appropriate action.
Water stewardship considers the ‘bigger picture’ of water use – how consumption in one place can have an impact on communities and ecosystems elsewhere. It is also context-specific, meaning water-related actions are tailored to the local environment. There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution.
Collective action and convergence are key to a climate-resilient future. Water stewardship is for the greater good, but it also makes commercial sense. It can help to protect business continuity, ensuring that operations and supply chains become more resilient.
The concept of water stewardship is becoming increasingly recognised by industry leaders and global decision-makers. At the landmark United Nations 2023 Water Conference, an energised and committed water stewardship community shared years of collective experience and resources to help companies understand how to better address their water use and impacts. This momentum for water stewardship continues to grow.
WHO WE ARE
The Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) exists to tackle the urgent global challenges driven by water insecurity. Our mission is to ignite and nurture global and local leadership in credible water stewardship that recognises and secures freshwater’s social, cultural, environmental and economic value.
Learn more about AWS by reading our Strategy 2022-2030: Accelerating Impact.
WHAT WE DO
AWS is two mutually supportive things:
1. A sustainability standard system
- The International Water Stewardship Standard (AWS Standard) is a globally applicable framework for major water users to understand, measure and advance their water stewardship performance.
- Built on a five-step process that guides water users to consider the most critical water impacts (see diagram).
- Driven by five outcomes: good water governance; sustainable water balance; good water quality status; important water-related areas (IWRAs) and water, sanitation and hygiene for all (WASH).
- Developed to implement on any site or within any catchment, sector or geography.
- Underpinned by third-party certification to enable sites to make credible claims on their water stewardship performance.
- Fully compliant with ISEAL, the global alliance for credible standard systems.
2. A multi-stakeholder membership-based alliance
AWS and its members support the adoption and promotion of the AWS Standard. Our collaborative network works hand-in-hand towards the same goals: using water stewardship to protect the shared water resources we all rely on.
We support action on two levels:
- Global: We raise awareness and driver water user engagement worldwide.
- Local: We build capacity and momentum by connecting AWS-implementing sites with stakeholders and activities.
HOW TO START YOUR WATER STEWARDSHIP JOURNEY
BECOME AN ALLIANCE FOR WATER STEWARDSHIP MEMBER
Our strength lies in the diversity of experience that AWS Members bring with them. AWS Members tell us that the collaborative, multistakeholder nature of our organisation gives them confidence that they are doing the right thing. It allows them to challenge each other and the system, to respond to water challenges in a transparent, equitable and sustainable way. AWS Members also play a pivotal role in growing and strengthening the water stewardship community.
Become part of our global network of business leaders, NGOs and public sector professionals.
SIGN UP FOR AWS STANDARD SYSTEM TRAINING
Through our AWS Standard System Training, participants explore the changing landscape of water risks and opportunities, the concept of water stewardship and how it can help businesses and their supply chains to become more resilient to climate and water-related challenges. Our open public courses help trainees develop leadership in water stewardship and gain an in-depth understanding of the AWS Standard through a combination of lessons, group discussions and fictional case studies.
Our AWS Standard System training is also available as a tailored training exclusive to your organisation.
GET ACCESS TO WATER STEWARDSHIP NEWS AND RESOURCES
AWS Member organisations have unlimited access to the AWS Tools Hub. The site is home to a variety of water stewardship resources to help you along your water stewardship journey, including:
AWS E-Standard & E-Guidance
Audit Ready Tool
Online Learning Modules
Webinars
The AWS Tools Hub is now also available in Spanish!
JOIN AN AWS SECTOR WORKING GROUP
AWS convenes quarterly working groups with four priority business sectors to deepen their engagement with water stewardship: Agricultural Supply Chains; Food & Beverage Manufacturing; Pharmaceuticals, Chemicals & Personal Care; and Textiles & Apparel.
We invite committed brands, NGOs and regional experts working in our five priority sectors to join a sector-specific working group to collaborate with one another, help set the agenda for water stewardship, and join a community of purpose-driven individuals united in a mission to protect water resources.
Participation in AWS working groups is largely limited to AWS Members, but new participants who are interested in learning more about AWS and the work we do are welcome to join up to three meetings.
GET INVOLVED IN AN AWS COLLECTIVE ACTION ACCELERATOR
The AWS Collective Action Accelerator is a collaborative, location-based approach to water stewardship. It was developed to give businesses working in water-stressed regions an opportunity to work together to find solutions to shared challenges in a cost-effective, scalable and replicable way.
AWS is currently running and scoping Collective Action Accelerators across the globe.
GET CERTIFIED AGAINST THE AWS STANDARD
AWS Standard certification is confirmation of having met best practice for responsible water stewardship. It enables sites to make credible claims about their water stewardship performance and benefits may include increased investor confidence, improved brand perception and strengthened customer relationships.
A company can implement the AWS Standard across its single, group or multi-site operations.