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Introduction

The Voluntary Labelling Scheme for Drinking Devices – Drinking Water Dispensers and Filters (the “Scheme”) is a water safety initiative adopted by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). The Scheme aims to facilitate consumers to identify drinking water dispensers and filters compliant with the requirements in respect of material safety.

The Scheme covers drinking water dispensers (Fig.1) and filters (Fig.2) commonly installed at the extremity of the internal plumbing systems for supplying water for direct drinking, that can be easily purchased in the market and installed handily by consumers. Products registered under the Scheme will carry a label that signifies their compliance with relevant requirements in respect of material safety. This allows consumers to identify compliant products when making their purchase decisions.

Figure 1. Drinking Water Dispensers (Examples only, not exhaustive)

Figure 2. Filters (Examples only, not exhaustive)

The Scheme is implemented on a voluntary basis, allowing a lead time for the market to adapt to the requirements in respect of material safety. WSD will review the implementation situation and decide whether the requirements will become mandatory in the future with the proposed amendments to the Waterworks Ordinance (Cap. 102) and Waterworks Regulations (Cap. 102A). The implementation of the Scheme aims at achieving the following:

• To provide consumers with information on drinking water dispensers and filters that have been tested/demonstrated compliant with requirements in respect of material safety;
• To facilitate consumers to select drinking water dispensers and filters that have been tested/demonstrated compliant with requirements in respect of material safety; and
• To promote public awareness of drinking water safety.

The Scheme recognises the drinking water dispensers and filters compliant with the requirements in respect of material safety rather than to verify the performance of their self-proclaimed functions of the products (e.g., water filtration and treatment abilities, heating and cooling efficiency, flow rate, etc.). Drinking water dispensers and filters registered under the Scheme will be granted a label provided that they comply with scheme requirements specified. Each Label (Fig.3) bears a unique QR code providing direct access to the online database for registered product information such as registration number, product type, brand, model number, validity, etc.

Figure 3. Label with QR Code

For more information on the Scheme, please refer to the [Scheme Document] available on our website.