Form 4: New Work Item Proposal
Circulation date:
25/10/2017
Closing date for voting:
17/01/2018

Reference number: Click here to enter text.
(to be given by Central Secretariat)

Proposer (e.g. ISO member body or A liaisonorganization)

ISO/TC Click here to enter text./SC Clickhere to enter text.

Standards Australia☒ Proposal for a new PC

Secretariat

N Click here to enter text.

Standards Australia

A proposal for a new work item within the scope of an existing committee shall be submitted tothe secretariat of that committee with a copy to the Central Secretariat and, in the case of a
subcommittee, a copy to the secretariat of the parent technical committee. Pr oposals not within
the scope of an existing committee shall be submitted to the secretariat of the ISO TechnicalManagement Board.
The proposer of a new work item may be a member body of ISO, the secretariat itself, anothertechnical committee or subcommittee, an organization in liaison, the Technical Management
Board or one of the advisory groups, or the Secretary-General.
The proposal will be circulated to the P-members of the technical committee or subcommittee
for voting, and to the O-members for information.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Proposals without adequate justification risk rejection or referral tooriginator.
Guidelines for proposing and justifying a new work item are contained in Annex C of the
ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1.
☒ The proposer has considered the guidance given in the Annex C during the preparation of
the NWIP.
Proposal (to be completed by the proposer)
Title of the proposed deliverable.
English title:
Water efficient products – Banding
French title (if available):

Click here to enter text.
(In the case of an amendment, revision or a new part of an existing document, show
the reference number and current title)

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Scope of the proposed deliverable.

To develop an international standard for Water Efficient Products – Test
Requirements, Water Efficiency Banding to indicate water efficiency of water-using
fittings and appliances, for consumer labelling and other purposes, based on
relevant standards and requirements from Australia and supporting countries andother ISO members’ national standards.
The scope of the ISO standard will cover the following:• Water efficiency bandings for the specified plumbing products and appliances.
• Key test requirements for individual plumbing products and appliances anddetermination to derive a water efficiency banding
The ISO band classification table can be added to each country’s own water
efficiency label design.

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Purpose and justification of the proposal*

The Global Developments
Water is necessary for human life and public health. It is an essential resource inthe production of goods and services, including food, energy and manufacturing,and is a critical requirement for functional ecosystems. However, 1.7 billion people
currently live in river basins where water use exceeds recharge. Changing
populations, new patterns of water use, increasing rainfall variability and pollution
have led to projections that the world may face a 40% shortfall in water availability
by 2030, affecting at least 1.8 billion people. In Asia alone, the United Nations (UN)estimates that between 2010 and 2025, 700 million people will be added to thegrowing numbers in Asian cities requiring municipal water services (Source: Reportof the Secretary-General, "Progress towards the Sustainable Development
Goals", E/2017/66)
How this fits with the United Nations
The United Nations Division for Sustainable Development seeks to provide
leadership and catalyze action in promoting and coordinating implementation ofinternationally agreed development goals, including the seventeen Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs). Among other mandates, it hosts the secretariat for theHigh-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the central platform
within the United Nations system for the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development, adopted by Heads of State and Governments in
September 2015. The 2030 Agenda is a new plan of action for people, planet andprosperity, with 17 SDGs and 169 associated targets at its core (Source: UN
Website, http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/development-agenda/).
Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6) “Ensure availability and sustainable
management of water and sanitation for all”, states that access to safe water andsanitation and sound management of freshwater ecosystems are essential tohuman health and to environmental sustainability and economic prosperity(Source: Report of the Secretary-General, "Progress towards the Sustainable
Development Goals", E/2017/66, https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg6).
Targets include:•

By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking
water for all•

By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all
and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women andgirls and those in vulnerable situations l•

By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution,
eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous
chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated

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wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe
reuse globally•

By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all
sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply offreshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce
the number of people suffering from water scarcity•

By 2030, implement integrated water resources management
at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as
appropriate•

By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems,
including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and
lakes

•

By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacitybuilding support to developing countries in water- andsanitation-related activities and programs, including water
harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater
treatment, recycling and reuse technologies•

Support and strengthen the participation of local
communities in improving water and sanitation management

Source: Report of the Secretary-General, "Progress towards theSustainable Development Goals", E/2016/75
The UN and World Bank High Level Panel on Water was convened in 2016 toprovide the leadership required to champion a comprehensive, inclusive andcollaborative way of developing and managing water resources, and improvin gwater and sanitation related services. The Panel is implementing an Action Plan
through specific initiatives, including a Water Use Efficiency Initiative led byAustralia. The Roadmap for this initiative was published in June 2017 and sets out
a path to implement five sectoral measures to provide practical tools to support
countries, sub-national bodies, enterprises and households to improve their water
use efficiency, taking into account their individual circumstances.
One of the sectoral measures in the Water Use Efficiency Initiative Roadmap
targets municipal and household water users through water efficiency labelling.
There is considerable potential to improve water use efficiency by households if
straightforward technological changes are made to domestic fixtures and fittings.
The replacement of inefficient taps, toilets, showerheads, washing machines, anddishwashers with more efficient models can have significant effects on water
consumption in the home, reducing per capita consumption significant ly.

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A number of countries around the world have water efficiency labelling
requirements which empower consumers to make choices favoring more water
efficient fixtures and appliances. This leads to market transformation, as industry
better understands the costs and benefits associated with efficiency savings. It is
driving innovation and resulting in a steady improvement in the efficiency o ftechnology across a range of industry sectors. Labelling also offers businesses aplatform to communicate their commitment to corporate social responsibility,
especially in industries that traditionally have high water use.
Regional Snapshot – What’s already been done?
Various countries who support this initiative in the APAC region have developed
their own water efficiency labelling schemes with varying success and structure.
Below gives both national context and response to water management withinthese economies:
The Australian Context
Australia is a dry continent with highly variable water resources. In 1994,
Australian state and territory governments committed to a framework of water
reform to address issues of over-allocation and pressure on existing supplies.
Water reform continued with the 2004 National Water Initiative, in which all
jurisdictions committed to a range of principles and actions aimed at increasing
the efficiency of Australia’s water use and providing greater certainty forinvestment.
The Australian Response
Australia has become recognized as a leader in water management, with decadesof experience in water reform such as establishing secure tradable water rights
separate to land rights, enacting basin-scale planning, addressing water pricing andintroducing management tools.
The Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards scheme (WELS) addressed a National
Water Initiative commitment to better manage urban water demand. The statedobjectives of the WELS scheme are to:•••Conserve water supplies by reducing water consumption
Provide information for purchasers of water-use and water-saving products
Promote the adoption of efficient and effective water-use and water-saving
technologies

WELS requires specified water-using products to be registered and labelled withaccurate, easily understood water use information so that consumers can makeinformed purchasing decisions.
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The reduction in domestic water use reduces costs to consumers, leaves morewater available for other uses such as agriculture or manufacturing, and allows
communities to reduce or postpone investment in water infrastructure such as
dams or desalination plants.
Experience in Australia is that when household products such as showers, taps,
toilets and clothes washing machines are labelled with their water efficiency at
the point of sale, consumers use that information to choose more efficient
products. This reduces household water consumption and savings increase overtime as more efficient products replace less efficient ones across a community.
Water efficiency can also be used by governments to set minimum performancestandards, further reducing demand.
Effectiveness of water efficiency labelling, underpinned by an Australian standard
WELS commenced in Australia in 2005 and is subject to a five-yearly independent
review. The 2015 review found that the Australia’s WELS scheme was appropriate,highly effective, and largely efficient and cost-effective in meeting its objectives,delivering water savings at far lower cost than alternative water supply
augmentation measures. It found that WELS provides effective and valued
consumer information at extremely low marginal costs, avoids regulatory andadministrative duplication, and drives technological development andimprovement.
Market research published in 2014 found that 87% of consumers recognised thewater rating label, 83% believed the scheme was ‘very’ or ‘quite’ credible, andover half used the water rating labels in making purchasing decisions. (Source:
Water rating, Quantum Market Research paper,
http://www.waterrating.gov.au/sitecollectionimages/resources/c679f9ae -30454c0c-9b1c-9c1b81f2036b/files/wels-scheme-effectiveness-survey-findings.pdf)
An evaluation of the environmental effects of Australia’s WELS scheme,
conducted in 2015 by the University of Technology Sydney, estimated annual
water savings from WELS of 70 billion litres in 2013, rising to 147 billion litres in
2021 and 204 billion litres in 2030. Australia’s population in 2013 was 23 million
people, so the per capita savings was over 3000 litres per person. Note that one
billion litres is enough water to fill approximately 444 Olympic swimming pools,
and the water saved is high quality potable water.
The evaluation found the greatest savings were from more efficient showers(35%), taps (35%) and clothes washing machines (19%). Efficient toilets savesubstantial water but more efficient toilets were already mandatory in Australia
so the water savings were not attributed to WELS.
An additional benefit identified by the evaluation was in energy savings, as lessenergy was required to heat, pump and treat water. In Australia this is expected
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions between 2005 and 2030 by over 46 million
tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents. Australian households also reduced utility
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bills by an estimated total $520 million AUD in 2013, rising to over $2 billion AUD
in 2030.
The table below summarises the estimated savings attributed to the WELS scheme in
the 2015 Evaluation of the Environmental Effects of Australia’s WELS Scheme,
conducted by the University of Technology, Sydney:

Annual water savings (GL/year)
Cumulative GHG reduction (MT CO 2-e)Annual household utility bill savings($m/year)

2013
70
5.5
520

2021
147
20.4
1390

2030
204
46.4
2063

Note that:•A GL is one billion litres – one GL is the volume of water in approximately 444 Olympic swimming pools. As an
additional means of comparison, the population of Australia in 2013 was 23 million people, so 70 billion litres
represents a savings of over 3000 litres per person in 2013.
•
The study found the greatest savings were from more efficient showers (35%), taps (35%) and clothes
washing machines (19%). Efficient toilets save a lot of water but more efficient toilets were alreadymandatory in Australia so the water savings were not attributed to WELS.
•
The reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, expressed in millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide
equivalents, are due mainly to reduced energy used to heat water.
•
The savings in household utility bills is from savings of both water and energy. Figures are for all households
in Australia combined.

The Singapore Context
PUB, the national water agency in Singapore, adopts a holistic approach toIntegrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) through management of theentire water loop, from sourcing to the collection, purification and supply of
drinking water, to the treatment of used water to reclaim high grade water or
NEWater, as well as the drainage of storm water. To ensure a diversified andsustainable supply of water, PUB has developed what is known as the FourNational Taps. These are four sources of supply, namely local catchment water,
imported water, NEWater and desalinated water.
The Singapore Response
Managing water demand is a vital part of an equation to ensure a sustainablesupply of water. PUB, the national water agency, have deployed a multi -pronged
approach: Pricing water correctly to reflect its scarcity value; mandating water
efficiency standards, and encouraging water conservation habits. Over the years,
PUB has mandated various measures to ensure households and industries to use
only what they need. These measures include controlling flow rates for taps andmixers as well as flushing capacity for cisterns and urinal.
The Mandatory Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme (MWELS) was introduced in2009 to help consumers make informed choices when buying water fittings andappliances. This scheme also encourages suppliers to import more water efficient
products. Under this scheme, products are labelled according to their water
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efficiency which ranges from 0-tick to 3-tick. Items under MWELS include water
fittings such as taps and mixers (basin, sink/bib and shower), dual -flush low
capacity flushing cisterns (LCFCs), urinal flush valves and waterless urinals. In
addition, suppliers are also encouraged to label the water efficiency of their
showerheads under the Voluntary Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme (VWELS).
MWELS was extended to cover clothes washing machines for household use in2011
To complement MWELS, minimum water efficiency standards were imposed onwater fittings in 2009. All new developments and existing premises undergoingrenovation are required to install water fittings with at least a “1-tick” water
efficiency rating. To complete the 2009 change, PUB has introduced minimum
water efficiency standards of 1-tick for taps/mixers from 1 Apr 2017 (i.e. only
taps/mixers with at least a 1-tick rating are allowed to be sold/supplied in
Singapore).
The minimum water efficiency standard for clothes washing machines was raised
from 1-tick to 2-ticks (i.e. 2-ticks and 3-ticks only) in October 2015, On Singapore
consumers’ level of acceptance, a market survey commissioned by PUB in 2016
showed that the sales figure of 3-ticks WELS rated washing machines has increased
from 37% in 2011 to 88% in Q1 2016. This huge jump in sales figure signifies ashift in consumers’ behavior and their increased preference in water efficient
products. In light of more water efficient washing machines in the market, PUB
introduced a 4-tick rating within the 3-tick rating group to allow for finerdifferentiation of water efficient clothes washing machines in 1 Apr 2017.
Over the years, PUB has made good progress in water efficiency. In 2015, we used
151 litres per person per day, down from 165 litres in 2003. As we strive towards
our target of 140 litres by 2030, PUB is constantly looking at other initiatives to get
its citizens to do their part by adopting more water saving habits and making useof more water-efficient technology.
The China context
China suffers from serious water resources shortage. China’s per capita water
resources are 2,100 cubic meters, which is only 25% of the average value retainedby the rest of the world. With China’s accelerating urbanization andindustrialization, the gap between supply and demand of water resources has
become increasingly prominent. Water resources have become the main
constraint of the sustainable development of economy and society of China. The
Chinese government has attached great importance to water conservation, andhas published a series of measures and policies. China is the largest producer andconsumer in the world of water products, and it also has the greatest potential forwater conservation. Since 2007, China has begun building their Water Efficiency
Labelling Scheme based on Australia’s WELS scheme, specifically relating to sitting
toilets and faucets. The standards for water efficiency are mandatory in China,
and there are separate standards for each product. The following table shows thestandards which have been issued, and which year they were published:
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ProductFaucetSitting Toilet
ShowerUrinalToilet Flushing Valve
Clothes Washer
Squatting Pan

Year published
2010
2017
2012
2012
2012
2013
2014

The China response
In order to promote the domestic adoption of these standards and strengthen the
supervision of Chinese water products, the Chinese government has begun the
preliminary work of water efficiency labeling since 2007. After years of research,demonstration and coordination, the Chinese water efficiency labeling program
has entered the legislative process, known as ' China Water Efficiency Label ',which will be implemented as a mandatory policy. The sitting toilet is the first
product which will be put into practice, and others will be implemented gradually.
The implementation model of China Water Efficiency Label scheme could beconcluded as:• Self-declaration of manufactures• Put the information on record to increase visibility• Market supervision to ensure accurate measurement
Once the test result has been received, manufactures can print and paste thewater efficiency label themselves to apply to their products. Manufactures could
then request the information filing and could construct and market
announcement by the organization which is authorized by the government (China
National Institute of Standardization). Finally, the government will organize
various forms of market supervision and inspection to ensure the effective
implementation of this policy.
Because the water efficiency label scheme in China has not been formally
implemented, it is difficult to identify the possible effects and benefits that thescheme would have on water efficiency. However, China agrees that promoting
the role of mandatory water efficiency standards and labels, combined withmarket influencing factors (such as stocks, sales, lifetime and efficiency grades
shares and other parameters) would be beneficial to the China. For China, themost benefit would be realized across four categories of products, including
sitting toilets, faucets, showers and clothes washers. It has the great potentials toimprove the water conservation. The average amount of annual water -saving is
expected to reach 11 billion cubic meters by 2030.

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Malaysia
Malaysia introduced their Water Efficient Products Labelling Scheme (WEPLS) in
early 2013 on a voluntary basis. This scheme has recently been identified as oneof the key strategies for water demand management in Malaysia.
Currently however, the Malaysian Water Services Division believes that the use ofwater saving products due to the WEPLS scheme has not been satisfactory.
Because of this, Malaysia intends to make their scheme mandatory in the near
future to ensure better water efficiency. For Malaysia, the prerequisite for theregistration of WEPLS is the compliance of each product to the Malaysianstandard as specified by SPAN.
The Malaysian Water Services Division and SPAN believe that the proposed ISO forwater efficiency standard should as far as possible, harmonise the range of water
efficiency ratings and subject to the same procedure of testing in determining thenominal flow for the efficiency rating.
New Zealand
New Zealand receives a plentiful supply of fresh water, but it is not uniform acrossthe country. Rainfall is generally much higher on the western side of both the Northand South islands. Our lakes and rivers are feeling the pressure of more than 150
years of a growing population, and changes in the way we use water. Demands for
fresh water are increasing and there are shortages in some areas at certain timesof the year, for example in Canterbury and the Hawke’s Bay. There are also
increasing demands on New Zealand’s water supply infrastructure. Expanding thisinfrastructure to meet demand can be both costly and contentious, and inevitably
involves difficult trade-offs. For example, meeting the water demands of New
Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, is likely to involve an expensive pipeline to draw
additional water from the Waikato River (as closer options become insufficient tomeet demands).
Climate change is predicted to affect rainfall patterns, which may exacerbatepressures on freshwater quantity and flows in some areas of the country. Water isbecoming increasingly important to the New Zealand public, as people havebecome more aware of the issues affecting the health of our rivers and lakes, andthe pressures affecting the amount of water available. For Māori, freshwater is ataonga – a treasured resource – and has cultural as well as practical importance.
Many local government bodies have adopted water conservation and efficiency
plans, in an effort to reduce pressure on infrastructure, and in particular to avoid,
where possible, the need for costly investment in additional water supply
capacity. Encouraging public understanding of the water efficiency of different
products (and therefore the implications for the customer’s power and water
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bills, as well as the region’s water resources) is an important component of suchplans.

Benefits of an international standard
As evidenced, multiple countries in the region have moved towards water efficiency
schemes to manage urban water demand, with varying success. As Australia has
demonstrated an effective net benefit based on AS/NZS 6400:2016, the region
supports the adoption of an International Standard based on AS/NZS 6400:2016 as
they believe that this standard will assist their domestic governments and local
industries reduce water use by implementing a proven water efficiency consumerlabelling scheme.
The different water efficiency labelling schemes described above have similar
structures. Australia and New Zealand’s schemes share a common standard(AS/NZS 6400:2016), and China’s Water Efficiency Label policy was developed
following a workshop with Australia as part of an agreement between the twocountries to share experiences with water management. Singapore and Malaysia’sschemes also share similarities with Australia’s WELS scheme. What theinternational standard will facilitate, is formal harmonization and the basis for an
ISO label that will link individual national schemes into a system that consumers
and business can understand, and one that is multi-national.
An international standard would also encourage the development and marketingof water efficient products, enable consumers to clearly identify and pu rchase thebest products within the industry, and positively influencing manufacturing to
improve the performance of their products through consumer power andinformation.
Potentially within scope are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Showers / showerheads and mixers
Tap equipment / taps and mixers
Flow controllers
Lavatory equipment / Dual-flush low capacity flushing cisterns, sitting
toilets and squat toilets
Urinal equipment / urinal flush valves
Dishwashers for household use
Clothes washing machines for household use
The dryer function of combination washer/dryers, where they use waterto dry washing loads

Some specific benefits of an International Standard would be:

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•

•

•
•
•

Businesses will be encouraged to create more water efficient products andservices, knowing this will be recognized and will therefore give them a market
advantage.
Governments can reduce urban water use by attaching an efficiency rating towater-using products. This can reduce or postpone the need for costly water
infrastructure or can allow available water to service a greater number ofpeople.
Governments can also use water efficiency ratings to set minimum productstandards, again reducing urban water use without compromising services
Consumers will be encouraged to be water-smart, to think about consumption
and create demand pressures on businesses to develop water-efficientinnovations and improvements.
Business will be able to trade across borders with no restrictions and aconsistent playing field for their exports, increasing competition and opening
new opportunities.

As previously mentioned, it is noted in this proposal that various ISO members
have water efficiency schemes in place currently. Please see below for current
schemes:•••••

Australia – WELS, underpinned by AS/NZS 6400:2016
New Zealand – WELS, underpinned by AS/NZS 6400:2016
Singapore – PUB’s Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme (WELS)
Malaysia – SPAN’s Water Efficient Product Labelling Scheme (WEPLS)
China – China Water Efficiency Label policy

Features of an International Standard
This proposal acknowledges the diversity in supporting countries’ testing
requirements for water efficiency, which may be voluntary or mandatory. For
harmonization to work effectively, this proposal includes key testing requirements
in order to derive the water efficiency rating of the products contained within thestandard.
This proposal also acknowledges the diversity and localization of Water Efficiency
label designs. This ISO proposal is not an attempt to harmonize the labelling design
or water efficiency rating but rather provide guidelines for water efficiency rating
bands which countries may choose to adopt. The band classification table may be
included into countries’ water labelling scheme, for consumers to easily identify
which band the water efficiency of a product falls into.
This proposal also acknowledges that each supporting country may have legislated
or otherwise stipulated standards and requirements that address watercontamination, water wastage, reliability/durability or other aspects before thewater fittings or appliance qualifies for labelling. The stipulated standards andrequirements may differ in each of supporting countries. Hence, countries who
intend to develop their own labelling scheme must note that complying with this
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ISO standard on water efficiency does not deem that the water fitting or appliancecomplies with supporting countries’ requirements.

Consider the following: Is there a verified market need for the proposal? What
problem does this standard solve? What value will the document bring to end -users?
See Annex C of the ISO/IEC Directives part 1 for more information.
See the following guidance on justification statements on ISO Connect:
https://connect.iso.org/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=27590861
Preparatory work (at a minimum an outline should be included with the proposal)☐ A draft is attachedserve as initial basis☐ An outline is attached ☐ An existing document to

The proposer or the proposer's organization is prepared to undertake the preparatory
work required:
☒ Yes

☐ No

If a draft is attached to this proposal,:Please select from one of the following options (note that if no option is selected, thedefault will be the first option):☒ Draft document will be registered as new project in the committee's work
programme (stage 20.00)☐ Draft document can be registered as a Working Draft (WD – stage 20.20)☐ Draft document can be registered as a Committee Draft (CD – stage 30.00)☐ Draft document can be registered as a Draft International Standard (DIS – stage
40.00)☐ If the attached document is copyrighted or includes copyrighted content, theproposer confirms that copyright permission has been granted for ISO to use thiscontent in compliance with clause 2.13 of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 (see also the
Declaration on copyright).
Is this a Management Systems Standard (MSS)?
☐ Yes ☒ No
NOTE: if Yes, the NWIP along with the Justification study (see Annex SL of theConsolidated ISO Supplement) must be sent to the MSS Task Force secretariat(tmb@iso.org) for approval before the NWIP ballot can be launched.
Indication(s) of the preferred type or types of deliverable(s) to be produced
under the proposal.
☒ International Standard☐ Publicly Available Specification

FORM 4 – New work item proposal
Version 02/2017☐ Technical Specification☐ Technical ReportProposed development track☐ 18 months*☐ 24 months☒ 36 months☐ 48 months

Note: Good project management is essential to meeting deadlines. A committee
may be granted only one extension of up to 9 months for the total project
duration (to be approved by the ISO/TMB).
*DIS ballot must be successfully completed within 13 months of the project’s registration in order
to be eligible for the direct publication process

Draft project plan (as discussed with committee leadership)
Proposed date for first meeting: TBA
Dates for key milestones: DIS submission Click here to enter text.
Publication Click here to enter text.
Known patented items (see ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 for important guidance)☐ Yes ☒ No
If "Yes", provide full information as annex
Co-ordination of work: To the best of your knowledge, has this or a similar proposal
been submitted to another standards development organization?
☐ Yes ☒ No
If “Yes”, please specify which one(s):Click here to enter text.

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A statement from the proposer as to how the proposed work may relate to or
impact on existing work, especially existing ISO and IEC deliverables. The
proposer should explain how the work differs from apparently similar work, or
explain how duplication and conflict will be minimized.

It is highly recommended that this international standard aligns itself with thecontent of AS/NZS 6400:2016, Water Efficient Products – Rating and Labelling, andseeks engagement from relevant overseas National Standards Bodies and water
agencies regarding international standardization.
We have reviewed various ISO Technical Committees to determine their suitability
for this project, but believe that the project instead should be part of a new PC.
Below is our analysis of existing ISO/TC’s:•

ISO/TC 282: Water Re-use
Scope: Standardisation of water reuse of any kind and for any purpose. It covers
both centralised and decentralised or on-site water reuses, direct and indirectones as well as intentional and unintentional ones. It includes technical,
economic, environmental and societal aspects of water reuse. Water reuse
comprises a sequence of the stages and operations involved in up taking,conveyance, processing, storage, distribution, consumption, drainage and otherhandling of wastewater, including the water reuse in repeated, cascaded andrecycled ways. The scope of ISO/PC 253 (Treated wastewater reuse for irrigation)is merged into the proposed new committee.
Committee fit:
Water reuse includes any water being reused for any purpose. The re are no
guarantees that the water as part of the WELS scheme will be recycled or reusedwater, nor is the intention of this standard to discuss any aspects of water reuse
including technical, economic, environmental or otherwise. Water efficiency
labelling is about determining how much water is used by manufactured
consumer products, not where the water is sourced from or how it is sourced.

•

ISO/TC 147: Water Quality
Scope: Standardization in the field of water quality, including definition of terms,
sampling of waters, measurement and reporting of water characteristics.
Committee fit:
From the work program and scope of the committee, water quality refers to theactual quality of the composition of water, rather than the efficiency of the
products procuring the water for use by consumers.

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•ISO/TC 224: Service activities relating to drinking water supply systems andwastewater systems – Quality criteria of the service and performance indicators
Scope: Standardization of the management concepts for service activities relating
to drinking water supply, wastewater and stormwater systems. This structure
includes all activities necessary to fulfil the objectives of water supply,
wastewater and stormwater systems. Water supply for purposes other than
drinking water can be included in this management concept structure.
Excluded are normative target or threshold values for service quality criteria,
normative limits of acceptability for drinking water quality or for wastewater andstormwater discharges to the environment, design and construction of watersupply, wastewater and stormwater systems discharges to the environment,
standardization in sludge recovery, recycling, treatment and disposal as within thescope of ISO/TC 275, standardization in water reuse as within the scope of ISO/TC
282; and methods for the measurement of water quality, which are covered by
ISO/TC 147.
Committee fit:
This is likely the closest fit to the proposed work by WELS. However, whilst thescope of TC 224 specifies guidance and requirements in the area of managing
drinking water supply, wastewater and stormwater services, it does not cover the
performance ratings of products from a consumer perspective. This doesn’t suit
WELS, as WELS itself is a performance indication/rating system for consumer
products, which sets target values in order to receive specific bandings, and ranks
consumer products in their usage of all water types, putting it in direct conflictwith TC 224. Within the ISO/TC 224, Working Group 12 is developing an ISO
standard 24526 on water efficiency management systems – requirements for
guidance and use, which assist organizations in managing its operations andprocesses with a focus on water efficiency. It does not cover the design or
performance of products. We also reviewed a preview of ISO 24523:2017 Service
activities relating to drinking water supply systems and waste water systems –Guidelines for benchmarking of water utilities. This publication seems to relate toflow performance, rather than a scheme that relates to influencing consumer
behavior when purchasing water related products (which is what WELS
represents). We don’t believe that the area of water efficiency and the consumer
is covered within ISO/TC 224.

FORM 4 – New work item proposal
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A listing of relevant existing documents at the international, regional andnational levels.

AS/NZS 6400:2016
Documents that support the value and benefits of WELS
Report on the second independent review of the WELS scheme (Australia) http://www.waterrating.gov.au/consultation/2015-wels-scheme-review
Market research survey report (Australia) http://www.waterrating.gov.au/resource/economic-and-market-research-201415
Report of the Evaluation of the Environmental Effects of the WELS Scheme(Australia) – http://www.waterrating.gov.au/resource/economic-and-marketresearch-2014-15
Information on Singapore’s Mandatory Water Efficiency
Labelling Scheme
https://www.pub.gov.sg/wels/labelratings/typesoflabel
https://www.pub.gov.sg/wels/suppliers
UN documents supporting actions that lead to more efficient use
of waterStatements from the UN High Level Panel on Water https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/HLPWater
UN High Level Panel on Water’s Water Use Efficiency for
Resilient Economies and Societies Roadmap (June 2017) https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/160
57HLPW_Water_Efficiency_Roadmap_final.pdf

FORM 4 – New work item proposal
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Please fill out the relevant parts of the table below to identify relevant affectedstakeholder categories and how they will each benefit from or be impacted by
the proposed deliverable(s).

Industry and commerce –large industry

Benefits/impacts

Examples oforganizations/companies tobe contacted

Organizations that choose tocomply with this standard
could benefit from:White-good manufacturers
Water service providers
Plumbers
Urban planners
Agriculture Industry
Food Industry

Increased consumer loyalty
and product differentiation
Enhancement of reputation
through improved production
Clear, concise understandingof consumer expectations
A more competitive market
with structure across regions

Industry and commerce –SMEs

Access to new international
markets which comply to thesame standards
SME’s can benefit from:As above

Reduced barriers to entry
through the WELS framework
As above
Government

Governments of member
countries could benefit from:
Improved efficiency of thevarious member country’s
current water resources byattaching an efficiency
rating to the products that
use them, allowing morewater to be used for otherpurposes such as agriculture
Reduced regulation burdens,
as each individual
government will not need to

FORM 4 – New work item proposal
Version 02/2017

Federal and State water
resource managers
Community planningdepartments

administer separate
schemes
Consumers

For consumers, they could
mainly benefit from:

National Consumer Bodies

Reduced household
expenditure on water bills

The ability to make more
informed choices about theirwater efficiency
Likely to have more products
to choose from due toreduced barriers of entry

LabourOverall consumer
empowerment, coupled withknowledge of doing something
positive for the environment
The labor force could benefit
from:All industry specific labor

Increased innovation and new
skills to create new, water
efficient products
Transferrable skills andworkforce flexibility due tointernational nature of thestandard

Academic and researchbodiesEmployment will likely
increase as organizations thathave less barriers to entry hire
more staff
Research facilities could
benefit from:

Universities, research institutes

Pool of knowledge associatedwith consumer behavior per
country. This can be comparedagainst existing data to give amore accurate picture ofcustomer behavior
Standards application
businesses
Non-governmentalorganizations
FORM 4 – New work item proposal
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Other (please specify)

Environmentally, this standard
could reduce the water usage
allowing freshwater reservoirs
and estuaries to retain morewater. This can have asignificant benefit duringAlldroughts and other water
shortage disasters

Liaisons:

Joint/parallel work:

A listing of relevant external internationalorganizations or internal parties (other ISO
and/or IEC committees) to be engaged as
liaisons in the development of thedeliverable(s).

Possible joint/parallel work with:

ISO/TC 138/SC 2 Plastics pipes and fittings
for water supplies
ISO/TC 147 Water quality
ISO/TC 224 Service activities relating todrinking water supply systems andwastewater systems - Quality criteria of theservice and performance indicators☐ IEC (please specify committee ID)

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☐ CEN (please specify committee ID)

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☐ Other (please specify)

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ISO/TC 282 Water reuse
A listing of relevant countries which are not already P-members of thecommittee.

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Note: The committee secretary shall distribute this NWIP to the countries listed above
to see if they wish to participate in this work
Proposed Project Leader (name ande-mail address)

Name of the Proposer(include contact information)

Brett Lovett, Stakeholder Engagement
Manager, Standards Australia

Dr. Carol Grossman, Director,
Department of Agriculture and Water
Resources, Australian Government

Brett.lovett@standards.org.au

Carol.Grossman@agriculture.gov.au

This proposal will be developed by:☐ An existing Working Group (please specify which one: Click here to enter text.)☐ A new Working Group (title: Click here to enter text.)(Note: establishment of a new WG must be approved by committee resolution)☐ The TC/SC directly☒ To be determined
FORM 4 – New work item proposal
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Supplementary information relating to the proposal☒ This proposal relates to a new ISO document;☐ This proposal relates to the adoption as an active project of an item currently
registered as a Preliminary Work Item;☐ This proposal relates to the re-establishment of a cancelled project as an active
project.
Other:

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Maintenance agencies and registration authorities☐ This proposal requires the service of a maintenance agency. If yes, please
identify the potential candidate:

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☐ This proposal requires the service of a registration authority. If yes, please
identify the potential candidate:

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NOTE: Selection and appointment of the MA or RA is subject to the procedure outlinedin the ISO/IEC Directives, Annex G and Annex H, and the RA policy in the ISO
Supplement, Annex SN.
☐ Annex(es) are included with this proposal (give details)

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Additional information/questions

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FORM 4 – New work item proposal
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