Aquafides Protocol v3.2
The methodological framework that enables a measurable and certifiable reduction of water impact: a proprietary nucleus, modules compatible with international standards and the mandatory separation between the one who advises and the one who certifies.
Architecture: a nucleus and compatible modules
The Aquafides Protocol v3.2 is organised in a proprietary [CORE] nucleus, which constitutes the mandatory base of every file, and a series of compatible modules that are activated on demand depending on the market and the regulations applicable to each organisation. This modular architecture is what allows covering, on a single documentary body, the requirements of five international standards without duplicating work.
The nucleus establishes the calculation methodology (Water Footprint Network and ISO 14046), the impact assessment with AWARE catchment factor, the management system, the Reduction Plan and the requirements of governance, training and transparency. The modules add the specific datapoints and evidence of each standard.
Simultaneous regulatory coverage
The differentiating advantage of the Protocol is that a single file responds simultaneously to the five most demanding international water standards. Each module contributes the datapoints and evidence of its standard, reusing the calculation and governance of the nucleus:
- ISO 14046:2014: ISO standardisation of water footprint. Provides international recognition of the calculation method and impact assessment with the AWARE factor. Recommended for multinationals and exporters.
- AWS Standard v2.0: Alliance for Water Stewardship. Evaluates responsible water management in the catchment context, with its five outcomes (water balance, quality, important areas, governance and WASH). Relevant in stressed catchments and large retailers.
- ESRS E3 (CSRD): technical standard of the European sustainability information Directive. Provides the mandatory water and marine resources datapoints that large EU companies must report.
- GRI 303 (2018): reporting standard for water and effluents for sustainability reports. Covers disclosures of withdrawal, discharge and consumption.
- CDP Water Security: disclosure questionnaire to investors and financial markets. The Aquafides file prepares responses with audited data.
Additionally, the M-NMX module covers Mexican regulation (NMX-AA-179-SCFI-2018) for clients operating in Mexico, and the entire file maps its contribution to Sustainable Development Goals 6, 12 and 13. You can go deeper into the technical foundations in our guide on water footprint.
The three typologies (Annex VIII)
Annex VIII of the Protocol defines three certifiable organisation profiles, each with its documentary catalogue and specific requirements.
Physical water operation
Hotels, cooperatives, factories, hospitals, wineries, industrial plants, farms and energy facilities. Focus: rigorous footprint calculation, operational Reduction Plan, sub-metering and training.
I want to certifyDistribution and commercialisation
Retail, wholesalers, logistics platforms and distributors. Focus: the supply chain as the nucleus, with the mandatory Aquafides Spread Effect and multi-year commitments with suppliers.
I want to certifyTerritorial responsibility
Municipalities, intermunicipal bodies, provincial councils and regional governments. Focus: territorial water diagnosis, Water Plan, public participation and procurement with water criteria.
Learn how to certifyThe Aquafides Spread Effect
The Spread Effect is the doctrine of the Protocol applicable mandatorily to every certified Supply Chain. It holds that an organisation that distributes or commercialises cannot limit itself to measuring its operational footprint —small—, but must assume multi-year, quantitative and verifiable commitments to transmit water requirements to its water-intensive suppliers.
Thus, each certified Supply Chain becomes a systemic change agent that drags hundreds of Productive Systems toward their own certification: supplier inventory, questionnaires, water contract clauses and progressive targets of certified suppliers. It is the mechanism by which the Protocol amplifies its impact beyond the individual organisation.
The 11 steps of the certification process
- Contact and initial diagnosis: typological classification and preliminary scope.
- Proposal and contracting, with Advisor/Auditor separation statement.
- Advisor designation and constitution of the Water Sustainability Committee.
- Advisor’s technical visit for primary data capture.
- Inventory, LDA matrix and water footprint calculation.
- Technical report and Water Footprint Reduction Plan.
- Implementation of the Water Management System and initial training.
- Designation of the Certifying Auditor, independent of the Advisor.
- Certifying audit.
- Certificate issue and public page with verification QR.
- Annual follow-up and review by Management.
An average client closes the complete cycle in 12 to 16 weeks from the signing of the contract to the issue of the certificate. The technical visit and water inventory are closed in the first 4 to 6 weeks. The Technical Calculation Memorandum and the Reduction Plan are ready between weeks 8 and 10. The independent Aquafides audit and the issue of the certificate with public verification QR take place between weeks 12 and 16. Cases with very mature operational documentation may close in 10 weeks; cases with relevant documentary deviations may extend up to 20 weeks.
See the detail on the page of water footprint certification.
Annex IV: Advisor / Auditor separation
Annex IV is the central ethical piece of the Protocol. It establishes that the person who advises the client and helps them implement the system cannot be the same one who later audits and issues the certificate. This separation guarantees that the certificate deserves the trust of the market, the regulator and the end client.
Within aquafides.org the separation is materialised in two functional subdomains —advisors.aquafides.org for advisors and auditors.aquafides.org for auditors— and in the documentary traceability of each file, where the Advisor and the Certifying Auditor are registered independently.
Public downloadable annexes
Public documentation of the Aquafides Protocol v3.2.
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