Water Passport
Structural improvements earn stamps in the property’s record. The Passport stays with the property when its occupants change.
Proof of concept
Passports & Points puts what has been done to use water well on a shared record that everyone involved can rely on. The Water Passport lives with the property and collects stamps for structural improvements; WaterPoints live with the person using the water. Developed by Water Ledger Global, Passports & Points is at proof-of-concept stage.
How it works / Passports & Points
Measure the starting point. Reduce use. Reward progress.
Reading the model
- 01 · MeasureA home and its passport connect the building to its water record. The reference budget is a comparison point, not an entitlement or a hard limit.
Connected evidence
01 / 03Property passport & reference budgetProperty stamp & verified actionPersonal WaterPoints & program rewards
Select a step to explore
Property baseline · measured use · program rules
Illustrative · not live dataTwo connected records
The property keeps its Passport.
The person keeps their Points.
WaterPoints
Verified water-positive actions build up WaterPoints for the person. The parties benefiting from water saved agree how to reward them.
The utility runs the scheme, service providers verify what has been done, and Water Ledger Global provides the infrastructure that connects the facts.
Where the opportunity is
One shared record.
Different reasons to act.
A house, a factory, a data centre, a farm: any property with water infrastructure has a water story. Incentives differ by sector, so each starts with its own design.
Households
Every home holds water infrastructure, and every household makes daily choices about how it uses water. Water Ledger Global set out the idea for household use in CIWEM’s The Environment magazine.
Read the paper ↗Data centres
The ledger infrastructure exists. The proof of concept applies it to Passports & Points for data centres, with incentives designed for their context.
A data centre’s Passport sits on the ledger independently of the site and its operator. Self-reported data is checked on the ledger.
Participation means organisational collaboration and sharing expertise and knowledge, rather than site-level co-funding.
Discuss the proof of concept →Different responsibilities.
Shared facts.
Water Passports & Points is at proof-of-concept stage. Property records, reference budgets, evidence, incentives and verification rules are agreed with the program operator and participants. A reference budget is a comparison point, not an entitlement or a hard limit.
Water customers
Understand the property’s water record, measured use and ways to reduce demand.
Utilities and councils
Design a demand program around local priorities.
Service providers
Verify structural improvements and water-positive actions against the program’s evidence requirements.
Passports & Points questions, answered.
What to know before taking the next step.
Questions about working with usIs a reference water budget a water entitlement?
No. It is a reference point for comparing measured use, calibrated to the property and local conditions. A water passport records the property’s water-relevant features and updates when they change. Neither the passport nor the reference budget grants a water right or imposes a hard limit.
What can we design a Water Passports program around?
Water Passports & Points follows Measure, Reduce, Reward: connect a property’s water features and measured use to a reference budget, record actions and improvements that reduce demand, and recognise verified actions and savings. Structural changes earn stamps in the property’s Water Passport; WaterPoints build up for the person. The proof of concept is developed around a program’s participants, accepted evidence and incentives.
Who is a Water Passports program for?
Water Passports can support organisations managing demand and people participating in a water-use program. The program operator defines who is eligible, which water records are used and what actions can qualify for recognition or rewards.
How are water-positive actions verified?
Service providers verify what has been done against the program’s evidence requirements. Before launch, the operator needs to define the accepted evidence, measurement period and rules for recognising an action or saving. An activity should only be presented as verified when it meets those agreed requirements.
How do rewards and WaterPoints work?
WaterPoints belong to the person using the water, while the Water Passport stays with the property. The utility runs the scheme, service providers verify actions, and the parties who benefit from water saved agree the rewards and redemption conditions. These rules should be clear to participants before they join. Points do not automatically represent cash, an investment or a token that can be redeemed across other programs.
What is needed to set up a Water Passports program?
Water Ledger Global provides the shared-record infrastructure. Start with the demand-management objective, intended participants, property information and available water-use data. Agree reference budgets, measurement periods, verification rules, access permissions and incentives with the program operator. A reference budget is a comparison point, not an entitlement or a hard limit.
Discuss your programExplore Passports & Points in your context.
Water Passports & Points is at proof-of-concept stage. Property records, reference budgets, evidence, incentives and verification rules are agreed with the program operator and participants. A reference budget is a comparison point, not an entitlement or a hard limit.