There is no substitute for water. Every business depends on this precious resource in one way or another: for growing agricultural commodities in the supply chain, processing or manufacturing at plants and facilities, or helping maintain community and employee health. As the global population grows and economic development changes consumption patterns, demand for water and thirst for products will increase.Determining how to introduce and harmonize a water stewardship program, especially for global companies, can be arduous. For this reason, Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) led a multi-stakeholder process to develop the first internationally recognized framework for implementing comprehensive water stewardship: the AWS International Water Stewardship Standard. ISEAL, a non-governmental organization dedicated to strengthening sustainability standards systems, has found AWS to be in compliance with its Codes of Good Practice, which ensures credibility in the way that standards are developed, improved and managed (Introduction).