Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) reposted this
A few reflections on #Circularity and #WaterCredits shared at the Outlook Business C3 Summit panel last Friday. For me, circularity cannot be achieved in isolation. Unlike carbon, water is inherently local, with risks, impacts, and solutions deeply tied to the catchment. This calls for a shift beyond efficiency, reuse and recycle, at site-level, what I would describe as closed-loop circularity, towards open basin-level circularity, where water is managed collectively to deliver shared outcomes. At its core, this is about moving from isolated actions to collective, catchment-based approaches, grounded in local realities, enabled by shared data and governance, and driven through collaboration to address systemic water challenges. The Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) provides a practical pathway to catalyse this shift. The AWS Standard anchors water use in catchment context and links site-level action with basin-level outcomes. As a global membership organisation, AWS convenes the platform for collaboration among diverse stakeholders, helping move circularity from isolated efforts to coordinated, credible action. The recently launched AWS Standard V3.0 further strengthens this approach. - https://lnkd.in/g_8apEZf The discussion also touched on water credits, where credibility depends on how strongly they are grounded in stewardship behaviour. From a stewardship lens, key questions to consider include: • Are they rooted in context-based water challenges? • Do they deliver measurable improvements at the catchment level, beyond volumetric accounting? • Do they complement and strengthen responsible site-level practices, rather than substitute them? • Do they enable collaboration and collective action among diverse stakeholders? • Do they embed transparency, accountability, and robust governance? Encouragingly, momentum is growing across sectors. Unlocking long-term impact, however, will depend on how effectively we bridge ambition with action on the ground and embed stewardship in practice. It was insightful to hear perspectives on wastewater as a resource, community-led approaches to water stewardship, and the importance of credible, incentive-based mechanisms to scale action, from my fellow panellists: - Anjali Makhija, CEO, S M Sehgal Foundation, - Ganesh Kaliyaperumal Director, Sustainability, Bisleri International Pvt Ltd, - Dr. Nupur Bahadur Subject Matter Expert, Delhi Jal Board (DJB) & KPMG India. Grateful to Surojit Bose, Sustainability & ESG Leader, Intueri Consulting, for anchoring such an enriching discussion, and to Sudipto Dey and the Outlook Business team for bringing together a meaningful summit with diverse and insightful conversations. #WaterStewardship #WaterCircularity #CollectiveAction #WaterCredits #Sustainability #WaterResilience #A4WS #AWSStandard