The AWS International Water Stewardship Standard (the Standard) is designed to be an international, ISEAL-compliant, standard that defines a set of water stewardship principles, criteria, and indicators for how water should be stewarded at a site and watershed level in a way that is environmentally, socially, and economically beneficial. The Standard is intended to provide water stewards with an approach for evaluating the existing processes and performances within their sites and watersheds, and ensuring that responsible water stewardship actions are in place to minimize negative impacts and maximize positive impacts. The first public consultation will be open to stakeholders until June 15th, 2012.

Collecting inputs for the Bonn2011 Nexus Conference preparatory process

The question of how to effectively use our water resources has been debated for decades, yet what we need more than ever is direct action at the field level.

A message from Felix Dodds, Executive Director of the Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future and International Steering Committee (ISC) Member

Ahead of the online live debate on water, food and energy on 6 February 2013, Gordon Conway and Liz Wilson explain the urgent global challenges in food security and some innovative solutions.

The global water crisis makes collaboration between business, NGOs and civil society essential for securing a sustainable, long term future for all. In Stockholm, 2,500 delegates have gathered for World Water Week to discuss the global water crisis and its effects on food security. Droughts and floods from America to Australia have devastated farms, frustrated civic leaders and caused food prices to skyrocket at a disturbing rate. Now companies are realising that water stewardship is both a moral imperative and makes smart business sense. With the world confronting a 40% gap between the planet’s supply and demand by 2030, the time to confront water scarcity is now.

In a wide-ranging interview with Sanjeev Chadha, President, PepsiCo Middle East & Africa, we discussed the evolving relationship between business and society, water management and sustainability at PepsiCo, shortages and scarcity particularly in the Middle East and Africa, the interconnectivity of water with a number of other critical issues, and key leadership lessons learned from a business perspective in tackling some of the world’s most pressing problems.

It is in the interests of big business to work with government to ensure the best use of water in an increasingly water-stressed country.

“The flapping of a butterfly’s wings may or may not have the capacity to trigger a tornado on another continent, but without a doubt, our food, water and energy systems have profound impacts upon each other (and us, and our planet). With that in mind, we’re excited to introduce our new GRACE website, which we built to reflect the interconnected nature of these three systems.”