About AWS
Rising populations, urbanization, increasing consumption and global climate change are all escalating the pressure on the planet's water resources. The stability of ecosystems and the reliability of the benefits they provide are threatened, with profound implications for the environment, people and the global economy. Failures in current water-related policies are leaving millions without access to their human right to clean water and sanitation.
In response, AWS is working with water authorities, companies, local communities and environmentalists to establish a voluntary program for water managers and users based on the following
- An International Standard developed through an equitable, transparent, science-based, multi-stakeholder process.
- Third-party verification to determine whether these standards have been met.
- A global brand that allows managers, users and organizations to demonstrate their compliance with or support for water stewardship.
- Training to promote achievement of water stewardship.
What is Water Stewardship?
Stewardship is about taking care of something that we do not own. Stewardship approaches that focus on the management of public goods like forests, fisheries or, in our case, freshwater resources, are based on the premise that we are all accountable for the sustainable management of those resources and are, therefore, based on collective responses.
Water Stewardship is the use of freshwater that is socially and economically beneficial as well as environmentally sustainable.
Environmentally sustainable water use maintains or improves biodiversity and ecological processes at the watershed level.
Socially beneficial water use recognizes basic human needs and ensures long-term benefits (including economic benefits) for local people and society at large.