Think tank targets water standard

British Water has joined with the Industry Consortium for Products in Contact with Drinking Water (ICPCDW) in its bid to establish universal standards and certification across Europe.

People within the industry have wanted to see a standard regulatory system for some time

British Water’s Ashley Roe

The ICPCDW is building on work done by a previous collaboration between France, Germany, The Netherlands and the UK, which attempted to draw up a harmonised set of standards and certification procedures.

The Consortium said it was close to producing draft guidelines for plastics and is now looking for industry experts in elastomers for the next phase of its activity.

“The lack of a harmonised set of standards across Europe is a significant barrier to trade and British Water will support efforts to harmonise testing regulations and make it easier for UK manufacturers to trade with other companies in Europe, ” said Ashley Roe, chief executive of British Water.

“People within the industry have wanted to see a standard regulatory system for some time and British Water is delighted progress is being made on this issue.”

Tony Frost, Convenor of ICPCDW said many of the EU states had their own certification requirements.

“At present manufacturers have to obtain certification from each of the relevant member states in order to obtain approval for selling products which come into contact with drinking water,” he said

“We have identified 18 member states which have different certification requirements. It stymies product development, stymies innovation, and at the end of the day the consumer ends up paying.”

By bringing together trade organisations and manufacturers’ representatives from across Europe, ICPCDW said it aimed to draw up draft regulations, which could then be adopted individually by countries or become part of European regulation.