NSF secures EU drinking water accreditation ahead of stricter 2027 regulations

Standards body NSF has been accredited by Belgium’s BELAC under ISO/IEC 17065 to perform conformity assessments under the European Union’s revised Drinking Water Directive (DWD). The accreditation is a mandatory step for NSF to become a notified body under the new EU Minimum Hygiene Requirements (EU-MHR) framework, enabling it to certify drinking-water contact materials and products when the updated regime takes effect on 1 January 2027. The new rules replace fragmented national schemes—such as Germany’s UBA guidelines and France’s ACS—with a single EU-wide certification system covering all materials that come into contact with drinking water. NSF confirmed that the requirements apply to elastomeric components including seals, gaskets, O-rings, and diaphragms used in valves, pumps, fittings, water meters, tanks, and domestic plumbing systems. The organisation stressed that formulations and starting substances must align with EU positive lists, and finished elastomer components will face harmonised migration and performance testing to ensure no harmful substances leach into drinking water beyond permitted limits. NSF warned that even small components can pose compliance risks if their materials or formulations lack required documentation or testing. The changes will impact compounders, component manufacturers, raw material suppliers, and OEMs supplying drinking-water contact products to the European market. To help suppliers prepare earlier in the supply chain, NSF introduced Protocol 534 (P534), which allows raw material, ingredient, pre-product, and intermediate suppliers to demonstrate compliance ahead of time, reducing downstream certification issues. Products with valid national certificates on 31 December 2026 can continue to be sold until the end of 2032, provided there are no changes affecting product composition or performance. Vincent Boks, NSF vice president of water, called Europe’s move to harmonised hygiene requirements one of the most significant regulatory shifts in decades. NSF said it is positioned to offer a one-stop solution to help manufacturers navigate the 2027 deadline and the transition period through 2032. The certification body also cautioned that over 600 substances on the EU positive list are set to expire in 2028, while rising demand for testing could strain European laboratory capacity as the industry gears up for the new framework.