Kiwa becomes the second European conformity assessment body with DWD accreditation
Kiwa has been accredited by the Dutch Accreditation Council (RvA) to carry out assessments in accordance with the new European Drinking Water Directive (EU) 2020/2184. Kiwa is the second European conformity assessment body to take this important first step towards formal notification through accreditation by a national authority. This accreditation already enables Kiwa to assess materials and products that come into contact with drinking water according to the new European hygiene requirements.
The Drinking Water Directive (DWD) was developed to safeguard the quality and safety of drinking water across the European Union. By defining uniform hygiene requirements, it creates a clear European framework for products and materials that come into contact with drinking water. This offers manufacturers the advantage of a single assessment and certification system for all EU Member States, reduces duplicate testing and national deviations, and facilitates access to the European market.
Minimum requirements
In Article 11 of the DWD, the European Commission has established minimum hygienic requirements (MHR) for products and materials that come into contact with drinking water. These requirements are further detailed in, among others, Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/370, which sets out the conformity assessment procedures and the rules for notified bodies. Based on this framework, accredited conformity assessment bodies such as Kiwa can issue an MHR statement, enabling manufacturers to demonstrate that their products comply with the European hygiene standards.
Mechanical aspects
The mechanical aspects of products and materials that come into contact with drinking water fall outside the scope of the DWD. Since there is no harmonized European legislation for these requirements, EU member states remain responsible for them. National certification systems (such as the Dutch BRL guidelines, Swedish and Finnish type approval schemes, the UNI product certificate in Italy and DVGW in Germany) confirm compliance with these requirements. These systems are often based on relevant EN standards but don’t have EU-wide legal status.
Transition period until the end of 2032
With DWD accreditation, Kiwa can now begin assessing and evaluating materials and products in accordance with the DWD, including issuing MHR statements. From 1 January 2027, all new products placed on the European market must comply with the DWD. Existing products may continue to be sold under national requirements, provided they meet those requirements until the end of 2032, giving manufacturers and suppliers sufficient time to make their product portfolios DWD-compliant.
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