1.
The Alliance for Water Stewardship
(AWS) and the AWS Standard
Sarah Wade

2.
AGENDA FOR TODAY
▪ An introduction to water stewardship
▪ What is the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS)?
▪ What is the AWS Standard?
▪ How does this relate to Uruguay?
▪ Questions and answers

3.
Water Stewardship:
An Introduction

4.
SOME CONTEXT
Up to 40% gap between water demand
and water availability by 2030.
80% + of the world’s wastewater
currently returns to the environment
without treatment.
1.8 billion people currently use a source
of drinking water contaminated by
faeces.
Current cost of water insecurity to the
global economy is $500 billion annually.
Soil is lost at 10 times the rate its is
created.
Sustainable Development Goals

5.
WHAT IS WATER RISK?
There are three types of water risk:
1. Physical water risk:
This can be relating to water quantity issues (such as flooding or drought) or water quality issues
(such as pollution)
2. Reputational water risk
This is the risk of society (the public, your customers etc) associating your business or your
actions with negative impacts on water. There have been clear examples of this through negative
media attention.
3. Regulatory water risk
Where water policy and governance is weak, or when it is not implemented correctly, or when
water users don’t adhere to the rules, this can create regulatory water risk.

6.
WATER STEWARDHIP: RISKS
COMMUNITY MEDIA INVESTORS REGULATORS

7.
A COMMON DEFINITION OF WATER STEWARDSHIP
The use of water that is:
− socially equitable
− environmentally sustainable
− economically beneficial
Achieved through a
stakeholder-inclusive
process that involves:
site and catchment-based
actions

8.
What is the Alliance for
Water Stewardship?

9.
A DIVERSE ALLIANCE WITH A COMMON GOAL
Foundation of AWS System: Multi-Stakeholder Governance
Members are from Business, Public Sector & Civil Society | Global, National, & Local
Our Mission:
To lead a global network that promotes responsible use of freshwater that is
socially and economically beneficial and environmentally sustainable.

10.
A GLOBAL NETWORK GROUNDED IN LOCAL
EXPERTISE
AWS International acts as the Secretariat for the global system, and is the
custodian of the AWS Standard and its related processes.
We have Regional Partners and Local Coordinators who support implementation of
the AWS Standard locally:
• AWS North America
• AWS Asia Pacific
• AWS Africa (coming in 2019)
• AWS Latin America (we hope by 2020)
We also have trained service providers who support AWS implementation globally
(more on that in the next section)

11.
What is the AWS Standard?

12.
OUR JOURNEY TO A SHARED COMMITMENT
Phase 1: AWS Standard Development
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Phase 2: AWS System Development & roll-out under multi-stakeholder governance
2015 2016 2017 2018
Corporate commitments to AWS Certification

13.
MULTI-STAKEHOLDER & GLOBAL

14.
A COMMON LANGUAGE FOR WATER STEWARDSHIP
SIX STEPS FOUR OUTCOMES
Independent 3rd
party certification
Credible claims of
meeting best practice

15.
HOW THE STANDARD WORKS
The AWS Standard helps water users consider the following questions,
then plan and react accordingly to improve sustainability:
• Upstream: who impacts me?
• Downstream: who do I impact?
• Who else?
Investors?
Consumers?
• What are our shared water challenges?
• What are my business risks and opportunities?

16.
BENEFITS OF APPLYING THE AWS STANDARD
The AWS Standard helps organisations to:
• Understand their water use in the context of a catchment
• Each time an organisation uses the Standard, they learn more about their local catchment
context, their stakeholders and new opportunities that are created through water stewardship.
Build internal capacity through a stepwise learning framework
• Manage water risks at site level and through supply chains
• In some cases, applying the Standard has helped different parts of a business who might not
normally meet to interact with each other
• Engage effectively and build trust with local stakeholders
• Based on shared challenges and opportunities
• Demonstrate real leadership in addressing water challenges
• Through joining as a member or applying the Standard, a business can demonstrate its
commitment to a Standard which has global recognition as best practice

17.
AWS STANDARD SYSTEM
We have a global system to support implementation of the AWS Standard:
• AWS International, our Regional Partners and Local Coordinators can facilitate
participation in the AWS Standard
• Our global network of trained service providers have undergone training to
enable them to offer AWS services:
• AWS trainers can offer Foundation, Specialist and Advanced training in Water
Stewardship and the AWS Standard
• AWS consultants can provide support and advice to organisations wishing to use the
AWS Standard to inform their water stewardship approach or seek certification
• AWS conformity assessment bodies are auditors who are qualified to assess whether
certification should be awarded to an organisation

18.
AWS MEMBERSHIP
AWS Members benefit from:
• Unique knowledge and network building opportunities
• Access to global expertise in water stewardship
• First sight of innovations in water stewardship as they emerge
• Access to AWS tools and guidance as become available
Members of AWS gain communications and marketing standout, through:
• A clear signifier of a credible approach to water-related risk
• A framework through which to explain water challenges and water stewardship
responses
• Support to strengthen internal and external communications on water
• Access to AWS branding

19.
AWS MEMBERSHIP
Members of AWS have a critical say in our governance. Our members:
• Contribute to the strategic development of AWS
• Collaborate on the evolution of the AWS System and AWS Standard
• Can be elected to and vote on nomination to the AWS Board or Technical Committee
• Vote in the AWS AGM, participate in the AWS Forum and collaborate on our direction
Our Members provide the AWS System with:
• Access to networks and new collaborators
• Insights from practice that enrich the global understanding of water stewardship
• A strength of voice that comes from a collective of committed practitioners
• Funding from fees to strengthen the AWS System

20.
What could AWS mean for
you?

21.
PRIVATE SECTOR VALUE
Site Corporate
Financial • Efficiencies: water use &
site management
• Risk mitigation
• Staff capacity & motivation
• De-risking investments
Regulatory • Stronger relationships
• Compliance and beyond
Legitimacy • Third party verification
• Community trust
• De-risking finance
• Brand value
• Consumer trust
• Leadership
Sustainable long-term growth

22.
PUBLIC SECTOR VALUE
Local National
Policy • Alignment with policy objectives
• Reduced costs of assessing
compliance
• Safe place for negotiation
• Regulatory revenue
• De-risking or securing
investments
• SDG contributions
Private sector
engagement
• Driving local innovation • Sector competitiveness
• Green growth / circular
economy
Multi-stakeholder • Catalyst for action
• Knowledge sharing
• Collaboration on
development priorities
Sustainable long-term growth

23.
European demand for asparagus driving severe groundwater
depletion, community water insecurity & water-related conflict
Multi-stakeholder partnership facilitated by AWS International
created a collaboration between
- European retailers
- Major Peruvian growers
- Ag-suppliers
- Local government
- Local academia
- International NGOs
- Development finance
AWS Standard training and implementation led to
- Improved on-site water practices
- Improved trust between local catchment actors
- Collective, catchment level approach
- Collaborative, user centred governance
- Increased priority for water in policy networks
- Connections between retailers and suppliers
Case study: Peruvian asparagus for retail in Europe
AWS water stewardship supporting the sustainability and
competitiveness of Peruvian asparagus production

24.
Case study: NHS Highland, Scotland
Caithness General Hospital is aiming to become the first hospital in the world
to certify against the AWS Standard.
- They recognise that their community is hugely dependant on clean, reliable freshwater
supplies for two of their main industries: whisky and tourism.
- Pharmaceuticals are known to be having a serious impact on water quality.
- Rivers in and around Wick are not consistently reaching Good Ecological Status under
the Water Framework Directive.
Working in partnership with a range of stakeholders: Environmental
Research Institute​, Highlands & Islands Enterprise​, Scottish Environment
Protection Agency​, Scottish Water​ and University of the Highlands and
Islands

25.
Case study: Renmark Irrigation Trust, South Australia
Earlier this the first agricultural collective to receive gold level certification year, the
Renmark Irrigation Trust became against the AWS Standard.
• The Trust’s infrastructure serves over 600 irrigators covering more than 4500 hectares. Water is
pumped through 140km of pipeline and is metered at both the river diversion point and the farm gate.
• The Chair of the Murray Darling Basin Authority and the Assistant Federal Minister for Agriculture and
Water praised AWS certification and the work undertaken by Renmark Irrigation Trust as a strong
positive approach that should be replicated elsewhere.
Some of the recognised good practice undertaken by RIT include:
• It is consistently compliant with water licenses and allocations, and voluntarily manages compliance on behalf of
its members
• It operates at 98% delivery efficiency, compared to Australian irrigation/rural water providers average of 83%
• RIT voluntarily participates in the SA Water/Government salt interception scheme
• RIT voluntarily participates in Renmark Paringa Landcare Bookmark Creek Action Group to improve the
Bookmark Creek environment.

26.
Any questions?

27.
Thank you!
More information: www.a4ws.org
Contact: sarah@a4ws.org