Certification to become mandatory from 2027!

Until now, manufacturers of materials and substances in contact with drinking water have had to obtain separate certificates for this in many EU countries. Under the new EU regulation, only one certificate (hygiene conformity certificate) will be required in future. From 1 January 2027, this certificate, along with product labelling, will be a prerequisite for placing products on the market within the EU. There are transition periods for products with a valid national conformity certificate.

What changes compared to the assessment criteria and guidelines of the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) previously in use in Germany? Not much in terms of testing. New requirements include an additional migration test in accordance with EN 12873-1 using chlorinated test water in the cold water range (previously only required in unchlorinated water), the additional determination of the taste threshold, and a GC-MS screening of the migration water in accordance with EN 15768.

The EU positive list is essentially based on the previously valid national positive lists and is to be updated regularly.

For months now, the European certification bodies (future notified bodies) and the European testing laboratories (which include us) have been meeting to discuss the practical implementation of the EU directives and to harmonise procedures.

Since 2025, we have been accredited to carry out tests in accordance with the new EU regulations , and we are ready to conduct these tests.