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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 20, 2007
CONTACT: Greta Houlahan
Phone: (800) NSF-MARK
Ext: 5723
Email: houlahan@nsf.org
NSF Gains Approval as Product Certifier for EPA’s New WaterSenseSM Program
Ann Arbor, MI – NSF International today announced its participation in a new certification program designed to verify the water efficiency and performance of high-efficiency toilets, which can save up to 900 billion gallons of water each year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The effort is a key part of EPA’s new WaterSenseSM program, which recently approved NSF’s participation in the program as an independent, product certification organization.
The EPA launched the WaterSenseSM program in 2006 to focus on high-efficiency products and services designed to conserve water, one of our most precious natural resources. This voluntary labeling program is available to all companies that partner with EPA and manufacture, sell or distribute household plumbing fixtures.
NSF has been approved to certify high-efficiency toilets to the WaterSenseSM specification as an EPA-Licensed Certification Body. The certification process will consist of product testing, including testing that ensures high-efficiency toilets consume no more than 1.28 gallons per flush (gpf) while successfully meeting all required performance testing.
WaterSenseSM makes it easier to identify water-efficient products and practices. By choosing products designated with the WaterSenseSM label, consumers will be saving water for future use. According to the EPA, the average household adopting water-efficient products and practices could save enough water to supply a year’s worth of drinking water to 150 of its neighbors.
Certified products will be included on an EPA product registry and will bear the WaterSenseSM label. In addition to authorizing the use of the label and providing the artwork, NSF will list all of its certified products on its website at www.nsf.org. Ongoing annual inspections will ensure continued compliance. A more detailed list of requirements can be found at: www.epa.gov/watersense/docs/spec_het508.pdf.
"EPA’s WaterSenseSM program is the ideal complement to NSF’s overall sustainability initiatives," said NSF Vice President Bob Ferguson. "While providing new services for our clients, we will also help to conserve water and protect the environment for future generations.”
During the initial phase of the WaterSenseSM program, the EPA is focusing on high-efficiency toilets. The program is expected to expand to include requirements for high-efficiency bathroom sink faucets. The EPA is accepting public comments on its draft specification for high-efficiency bathroom faucets until March 23, 2007; proposed requirements can be found at: www.epa.gov/watersense/pp/bathroom_faucets.htm. Future plans to expand the WaterSenseSM program may include requirements for showerheads, irrigation control equipment and other commercial equipment.
For more information on the WaterSenseSM program, please contact Jeremy Brown, NSF Codes & Regulatory Manager, at brown@nsf.org or 1-734-769-5196, or visit http://www.epa.gov/watersense.
Additional water conservation tips for consumers can be found on NSF's website: http://www.nsf.org/consumer/conservation/index.asp.
About NSF International: NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit organization, helps protect you by certifying products and writing standards for food, water, air and consumer goods (www.nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting public health and safety worldwide. NSF is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Food and Water Safety and Indoor Environment. Additional services include safety audits for the food and water industries, management systems registrations delivered through NSF International Strategic Registrations, organic certification provided by Quality Assurance International and education through the NSF Center for Public Health Education.
