scope:

This Standard covers products that contact drinking water, wastewater, and recreational water and their packaging. The document includes relevant criteria across the product(s) life cycle from raw material extraction through manufacturing, use, and end-of-life management.

The Standard's primary users are intended to be water contact product(s) manufacturers interested in understanding the sustainability performance of their product(s). Independent auditors, certification bodies and environmental labeling organizations are also potential users in support of market-based environmental and sustainability claims. The output from the standard may be referenced by purchasers and consumers who wish to ensure that manufacturers are accurately declaring the sustainable nature of their products.

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to provide a consistent framework for collecting data and communicating information on the sustainable attributes of water contact products. Such information is expected to encourage the demand for, and supply of, water contact products that have a reduced impact on the environment and society, thereby stimulating the potential for market-driven continuous improvement.

This Standard is intended to be science-based, provide transparency, and offer credibility for manufacturers in making claims of environmental preferability and sustainability, and to harmonize the principles and procedures used to support such claims.

These criteria promote a practice for assessing the sustainability of water contact products. Sustainability-related information can impact a manufacturer's decisions about supply chain modifications, product(s) content changes, manufacturing adjustments, performance improvements, end-of-life options, and corporate governance, with the goal of producing more sustainable products.

This Standard provides a means to track incremental changes in the products' sustainability profile.