Water deserves the same level of focus globally as climate change and biodiversity loss, according to a new paper from the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals which urges organisations to move beyond traditional environmental management approaches and adopt more holistic, catchment-based water stewardship practices.
By 2030, the health and livelihoods of an estimated 4.8 billion people could be at risk if water quality monitoring and management do not improve.1
The paper, “Beyond Compliance: Advancing Environmental Management through Water Stewardship”, argues that while Environmental Management Systems (EMS) such as ISO14001 provide a strong foundation for managing environmental impacts, they are no longer sufficient on their own to address escalating water-related risks driven by climate change, pollution, population growth, and biodiversity loss.
ISEP Policy and Engagement Lead, Lesley Wilson, said: “Water cannot be treated by organisations as just another operational input. It is a shared, local resource essential to ecosystems, communities, and economic resilience.
“It underpins food production, energy systems, health, and industrial operations, yet is often treated narrowly within compliance-driven environmental programs. This paper emphasises that water-related risks increasingly intersect with climate, biodiversity, ESG and regulatory agendas, demanding a more international and context-driven response.
“It shows how integrating water stewardship into environmental management systems enables organizations to move beyond compliance and play a meaningful role in safeguarding water at both site and catchment levels.”
Citing expert consensus, the paper reinforces that water deserves the same level of urgency and resources as climate change and biodiversity loss, particularly in water-scarce regions such as the Middle East.2
Alicia Dauth, Water Assurance Technical Lead with the Water Security Collective, and member of ISEP’s Environmental Management Steering Group, said: “Water shapes lives and our environment. It sits at the centre of sustainability. In arid environments such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), it is not merely an input, but rather the foundation of sustainable development and healthy ecosystems that support biodiversity and our future resilience.
“Technology alone is not enough. Strong water stewardship practices are needed more than ever to accelerate action, take collective responsibility and to optimise all water resources.”
Exploring how integrating water stewardship frameworks – particularly the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Standard – can significantly enhance ISO 14001-based EMS, the paper demonstrates how complementary catchment-based, stakeholder-inclusive approaches can address shared water challenges beyond site boundaries.
Building on ISO 14001’s Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle, AWS’s five step framework – Gather and Understand; Commit and Plan; Implement; Evaluate; Communicate and Disclose – can help organisations to achieve robust, transparent, and resilient water management outcomes.
The paper also highlights how related ISO standards, including ISO 14046 (Water Footprint), ISO 46001 (Water Efficiency Management Systems) and ISO 59004 (Circular Economy), can further strengthen integrated water strategies when used in synergy.
The paper concludes that integrating water stewardship into environmental management systems delivers tangible benefits, including:
- Improved risk identification and resilience to water scarcity, flooding, and pollution
- Enhanced data quality and transparency for informed decision-making
- Stronger stakeholder engagement and collective action at catchment level
- Sustainable water use across sites, supply chains, and communities
- Long-term value creation for businesses and the ecosystems they depend on
To access the paper, visit: Beyond compliance: advancing environmental management through water stewardship
Notes
[1] World enters era of ‘global water bankruptcy’, United Nations, news release. Link: https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/01/1166800
[2] The Future Water Agenda: How water can lead the way for sustainability and collective action. Report, March 2025. Link: https://wwfint.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/the-future-water-agenda-by-globescan-wwf–final-.pdf
