Water stewardship provides a tool for managing water risks and for collaboration between business, government and community in responding to shared water challenges.The Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) International Water Stewardship Standard is a globally-consistent framework that defines good water stewardship, provides a framework for achieving good water stewardship and a system for recognising and rewarding good water stewards. AWS Asia Pacific is the regional AWS partner supporting implementation of the AWS Standard in China and Asia Pacific.We define water stewardship as "the use of water that is socially equitable, environmentally sustainable and economically beneficial, achieved through a stakeholder-inclusive process that involves site and catchment-based actions" and seek to achieve four outcomes: sustainable water balance, good water quality, healthy important water related areas (ecosystems and cultural sites) and good water governance.The water stewardship system is designed for commercial and industrial water users whether they be in agriculture, processing industries, commercial businesses or institutional water users. It is globally consistent and applicable in any setting.