International Accreditation
Service (IAS) has been designated as an approved accreditation body by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the EPA WaterSense Program, which
promotes the development and use of water-efficient products such as faucets
and high-efficiency toilets.
Qualifying products under the
program must perform 20% more efficiently than traditional counterparts. Manufacturers
must demonstrate through independent testing and certification from a
certifying body accredited by an EPA-recognized accreditation body that its
products meet the WaterSense efficiency and performance criteria and are
eligible for the WaterSense label.
IAS already has accredited two certifying bodies that have met the EPA
WaterSense requirements and is currently accepting applications from
organizations that want to participate in the WaterSense Program. As an EPA
partner, IAS will assess the competence of certification bodies to certify
WaterSense labeled products against the requirements set forth in:
International Standard
ISO/IEC Guide 65, General requirements for bodies operating product
certification systems,
International
Accreditation Forum — Guidance on application of ISO/IEC Guide 65, and
U.S. EPA’s own
requirements as defined in the WaterSense Product Certification System.
For more information about how product
certification agencies can become IAS accredited to certify and label products
that meet WaterSense requirements, visit www.iasonline.org.
Source: IAS
