A Blueprint for Global Water Stewardship: From Strategy and Reporting to Accountability and Assurance
Earth’s waterways connect ecosystems, communities, and global economies. As the pressures of international environmental regulations move in lockstep with accelerating concerns about climate disruptions, companies across industries are looking for effective ways to address stakeholder expectations regarding water usage at their operations and throughout their value chain. By looking at water’s role in furthering solutions to the impacts of climate instability, investor demands, and corporate sustainability, organizations can better meet present expectations while preparing for future uncertainties.
In this blog, we’re discussing how climate instability and water stress create urgent risks for businesses and communities worldwide. And through a solutions-oriented lens, we’re taking a closer look at how organizations can engage with effective water management strategies to build a water stewardship blueprint that maintains compliance with major reporting requirements while protecting biodiversity, improving water quality, and encouraging climate resilience.
Setting the Global Stage for Water Stewardship
Access to fresh water is fundamental to human health and well-being and is formally recognized by the United Nations (UN) as a human right. As part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) incorporate specific objectives related to the responsible management of water resources under Goal 6: ‘Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all’ — though water influences all UN SGD Goals from ocean health to industry, innovation and infrastructure. These objectives encompass measures such as ensuring universal access to safe and affordable drinking water, enhancing water quality, and addressing issues of water scarcity.
An organization's withdrawal and consumption of water, as well as the quality of its discharges, can significantly affect local ecosystems and communities at large. Such direct impacts on catchments may also influence broader aspects of regional quality of life, including social and economic repercussions for local communities and businesses.
Published in September, the 2025 United Nations Global Compact Accenture CEO Study frames water and other sustainability concerns from a business perspective, reporting that reliable access to clean water is one of the major, expected losses accompanying a business-as-usual trajectory. The study emphasizes the urgency of strategic environmental action needed by businesses of all sizes. Continued inaction in the present makes future course correction “even more difficult,” the study says.
Because water scarcity is a solvable problem, the report is quick to point to “proven integrated solutions” gathered from more than 150 case studies around the world and that focus on intersecting metrics such as biodiversity, food, water, health, and climate. Significantly, the study suggests that if implemented worldwide, these proven, integrated solutions “could unlock $10 trillion in business opportunities and generate 395 million jobs globally by 2030” (pg. 47).
Water scarcity, quality, access, and availability can be considered material risks for a significant segment of global businesses. Accordingly, investors are watching how companies are managing these variables, indicating that forward-thinking companies should be looking to mobilize and communicate the conscientious management of water resources.
Reporting: Frameworks, Standards, and Evolving Requirements
Formal reporting frameworks take into account changing environmental and climate concerns, playing a vital role in advancing water stewardship and providing organizations with a clear structure for disclosing both regulatory and voluntary water-related data. Standards such as Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) 303 Water and Effluents Strategy, European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) E3 Water and Marine Resources, along with International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), and CDP foster transparency, enable meaningful benchmarking, and support compliance with emerging supplier and disclosure requirements.
Some of the most influential mandatory reporting frameworks include specific assurance requirements. The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), as one example, requires large and listed companies to report their sustainability performance, giving environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics equal priority with financial reporting. Limited assurance is currently required.
The ISSB, as another example, sets global standards for sustainability-related financial disclosures through IFRS S1 (general disclosures) and IFRS S2 (climate disclosures). Over 30 jurisdictions are adopting these standards, which support consistent and credible ESG reporting. The ISSB collaborates with the EU to align with ESRS, helping reduce reporting complexity for global organizations. Assurance requirements vary, but are expected to increase over time.
Water Stewardship Frameworks and Standards
Within the broader network of sustainability reporting, water stewardship frameworks and standards specifically help guide organizations toward responsible management of water resources in a fast-evolving regulatory and business landscape. Rigorous certifications offer site-specific measurement and continuous monitoring of water metrics, empowering companies to establish contextually relevant goals for consumption, efficiency, and even “water positive” outcomes.
Emerging verification programs, such as Water Positive™ Verification, are reshaping corporate reputations by enabling transparent, measurable claims of positive water impact. Through methodologies like Volumetric Water Benefit Accounting, organizations can credibly demonstrate their contributions to watershed restoration, resource optimization, and community resilience, aligning these efforts with global disclosure frameworks such as CDP and Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). As environmental regulations demand increasingly stringent and specific evidence of sustainability performance, independent assurance and certification both strengthen internal data management and support compliance with growing mandatory reporting requirements.
By adopting comprehensive water stewardship standards, companies position themselves as leaders in sustainability, build trust with stakeholders, and proactively address the risks and opportunities associated with water management in their operations and value chains. In the next section, we consider how organizations can effectively build and implement a water stewardship strategy that harmonizes with existing operations, mission, and values.
Building a Water Stewardship Strategy: Assessment to Implementation
Establishing a robust water stewardship strategy, or blueprint, begins with a comprehensive assessment process, which includes conducting a materiality screening to identify core water-related impacts, risks, and dependencies within your organization’s operations. In terms of broader sustainability performance, a materiality assessment will help inform businesses of gaps in data, indicating which programs and areas are most significant to operations. This initial step helps set the foundation for reliable data systems, ensuring that water metrics are tracked and managed with the necessary granularity. Addressing blind spots in current reporting practices allows organizations to better align their approach with regulatory expectations and stakeholder demands.
The next phase involves prioritizing sites based on water risk and organizational relevance, followed by baselining to define a reference year and inventorying water usage across relevant withdrawal sources. These initial steps enable tailored strategy development according to organizational size and complexity, paving the way for practical goal setting and implementation. Site-specific action plans are then designed to support enterprise-wide objectives and facilitate progress toward certification and independent verification, ensuring that sustainability commitments are both actionable and credible.
Assurance: Enhancing Accountability and Credibility
With increased water instability around the world, accountability and credibility help transform water stewardship from back-of-the-napkin guesstimates into measurable, credible, and verifiable results that come with the power to improve business outcomes and strengthen community. Accountability and credibility are also baked into the tenets of ESG metrics. Sustainability claims about ESG goals and progress should be transparent, reliable, and meaningful, and assurance enables this alignment.
Assurance in ESG — often accredited under recognized standards such as ISO 14064, AA 1000, and ISAE 3000 — verifies sustainability reporting, strengthens stakeholder trust, and supports regulatory compliance. Early engagement with assurance processes enhances the quality of data and reporting, helping organizations safeguard against greenwashing and liability while demonstrating genuine leadership in responsible water management.
Preparing for Success in Water Stewardship
Strategic water stewardship is essential for organizations seeking to future-proof their operations, build trust with stakeholders, and demonstrate leadership in sustainability. A comprehensive pathway for building an effective blueprint for water stewardship serves as both guide and plan wherein robust water data emerges as a central tool for managing risk, meeting regulatory obligations, and communicating progress credibly.
By embracing integrated solutions and pursuing independent certifications, organizations not only comply with growing stakeholder and regulatory expectations, but also contribute meaningfully to climate resilience, biodiversity, and community well-being. Ultimately, this blueprint demonstrates that strategic water stewardship is both a business imperative and a critical avenue for accountability and long-term value creation.
Want to learn more about developing an effective water stewardship strategy for your organization? Be sure to watch our webinar replay, “A Blueprint for Global Water Stewardship: From Strategy and Reporting to Accountability and Assurance.”
