What is it?
Certification scheme issued or operated by Alliance for Water Stewardship.
Regulatory recognitionReference standard for water-stewardship claims in CDP and corporate reporting
Standards & schemes · Certification scheme
AWS International Water Stewardship Standard
Alliance for Water Stewardship
Which version is current?
Profile version 2. Official information last verified 24 August 2026.
Who and what does it cover?
- Geography
- Global
- Sectors
- Water-using sites: agriculture, industry, food & beverage
- Scope
- Site / catchment
What does it require?
Site-level standard (AWS Standard v3.0, adopted December 2025, launched March 2026): 72 requirements across 23 criteria delivering five outcomes — good water governance, sustainable water balance, good water quality, important water-related areas, and WASH — assessed in catchment context, with ESRS E3/CDP/TNFD alignment.
What it does not demonstrateThe scheme does not by itself prove that a particular product, site or organisation holds a current certificate; its scope and validity must be checked.
How is conformity assessed?
Accredited third-party certification bodies; Core, Gold and Platinum performance levels
Grievance mechanismAWS complaints and appeals process
Who makes the decision?
Alliance for Water Stewardship
Assurance arrangementAccredited third-party certification bodies; Core, Gold and Platinum performance levels
Chain of custody
Not specified in this profile
ISEAL membershipISEAL community member
Conditional relationships
Claims it may support
A relationship does not mean that the standard proves or validates every use of a claim.
Water-neutral” / “water positiveMay support · Requires a current valid certificate within the scheme's scope; certification supports but does not by itself prove the claim — wording must reflect certified scope and assurance level.see standards.last_verifiedReduce water use 30% at high-stress manufacturing sites by 2030May support · Requires a current valid certificate within the scheme's scope; certification supports but does not by itself prove the claim — wording must reflect certified scope and assurance level.see standards.last_verified
Legal context
Laws referencing it
No reviewed law references are published.
Dictionary
Dictionary concepts
No reviewed dictionary cross-link is published.
Version record
What has changed
- Version 2Initial profile published after recorded site-owner/editor review of the complete standards batch.
- Version 1Initial private editorial draft imported from the reviewed standards handover.
Last verified 24 August 2026. This neutral profile is informational and does not recommend, rank or endorse the standard.