Water stewardship strategy

"Water stewardship" is a generally accepted business term for the proactive adoption of an economically, environmentally and socially responsible water strategy. Water stewardship strives to achieve water security for all stakeholders, including ecosystems within a watershed. Water stewardship emphasizes effective resource sharing as well as efficient resource use, and seeks to engage stakeholders across the value chain, collaborating with suppliers and/or customers to help manage their collective risk. There are several other frameworks for water stewardship. A very simple view of water stewardship which aligns with World Wildlife Fund and other frameworks such as Alliance for Water Stewardship is that of Sarni in "Getting Ahead of the 'Ripple Effect': A Framework for Water Stewardship Strategy". The World Business Council for Sustainable Development framework is helpful in that it provides companies with strategy options and can drive examination into actual water risks – data collection, stakeholder mapping. The chapter examines some companies that are engaged with water stewardship programs.