Water Stewardship
Definition
Water stewardship is the responsible management and use of freshwater resources through stakeholder-inclusive processes that consider social, cultural, environmental, and economic outcomes. It goes beyond simple water efficiency to address shared water challenges at the catchment level. Good water stewardship balances the needs of all water users and ecosystems.
Why It Matters
Water scarcity is an escalating global risk that directly impacts supply chains, operations, and communities. Companies in water-intensive sectors face growing scrutiny from investors and regulators on their water management practices.
Related Terms
Biodiversity
Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth at all levels, from genes to ecosystems, and the ecological processes that sustain them. It encompasses the diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems. Loss of biodiversity threatens ecosystem services that human societies depend on, including food production, clean water, and climate regulation.
Nature-Based Solutions
Nature-based solutions are actions that protect, sustainably manage, or restore natural ecosystems to address societal challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and disaster risk. Examples include reforestation, wetland restoration, and sustainable agriculture. They provide co-benefits for both people and biodiversity.
SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)
The Sustainable Development Goals are 17 interconnected global goals adopted by all UN Member States in 2015 as a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet by 2030. They address challenges including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, and injustice. Organisations increasingly map their ESG strategies and impacts to specific SDGs.
Materiality Assessment
A materiality assessment is a structured process for identifying and prioritising the ESG topics that are most significant to an organisation and its stakeholders. It typically involves stakeholder engagement, peer benchmarking, and analysis of business impact to determine which issues warrant strategic focus and disclosure. The output is usually a materiality matrix ranking topics by importance.