NSF Launches Pre-Assessment Services to Help Manufacturers Prepare for EU Drinking Water Regulations
BRUSSELS, Belgium – With less than 13 months left before the European Union’s new drinking water regulations take effect, NSF, a global leader in public health and safety standards, has announced the launch of its Pre-Assessment Services. The service is designed to assist manufacturers in meeting the EU-MHR (Minimum Health Requirements) compliance deadlines with confidence.
The revised European Drinking Water Directive (DWD) will come into effect on January 1st, 2027, replacing national schemes across all 27 member states. However, with concerns mounting in the industry about certification bottlenecks, testing delays, and regulatory complexity, NSF’s Pre-Assessment Services aim to alleviate these worries.
David Platt, director of Water, EMEA, at NSF, explains, “While EU-MHR changes the game for the entire European water supply chain, manufacturers face a perfect storm of tight deadlines, limited testing capacity, and complex new requirements. Our EU-MHR Pre-Assessment Services remove the uncertainty by enabling you to prepare for EU-MHR now. It identifies compliance gaps and gives companies a head start to secure Europe-wide market access.”
The new service will assess technical information on materials and formulations, evaluate production facilities and quality systems, and conduct testing in European laboratories under EU-MHR conditions. It is available to manufacturers of all final products that come into contact with drinking water, from pipes, valves, and fittings to gaskets and pumps, before formal certification begins.
NSF has recently developed Protocol 534 (P534), which addresses the challenges facing suppliers of raw materials and intermediate products in European markets. P534 enables manufacturers to verify material safety and compliance at the earliest stages of production, significantly reducing downstream risk and accelerating readiness for EU-MHR requirements.
P534 covers a wide range of pre-products, including plastic granulates, formulation ingredients such as colorants, solvents, fillers, stabilizers, and antioxidants, as well as complex mixtures like glass fiber, sizing agents, and masterbatches. The protocol also evaluates intermediate products, such as ingredients for cementitious materials and coating hardeners, as well as site-applied products, including coatings and epoxy resins.
Samantha Duffy, senior manager of Global Water Programs, EU & UK, at NSF, asserts, “The transition from fragmented national schemes to harmonized EU standards represents the biggest regulatory change in European water safety in decades and affects thousands of manufacturers. Early preparation is key; companies that start their compliance journey now will maintain a competitive advantage while others face potential delays and market exclusion.”
The new EU-MHR regulation replaces all national standards across Europe, such as France’s ACS certification and Germany’s UBA guidelines, with a single unified risk-based standard. Compliance now requires independent third-party certification, regular facility audits, and detailed documentation for all products that contact drinking water, which is a significant departure from previous national schemes.
Platt adds, “We are seeing unprecedented demand from manufacturers who recognize that early compliance preparation translates directly to competitive advantage. The companies that engage with our pre-assessment services now will be first to market when regulations take effect.”
Companies interested in gaining European market access are invited to contact NSF to begin the pre-assessment process. To schedule an EU-MHR pre-assessment or to learn how P534 can support your supply chain, visit NSF’s EU-MHR Pre-Assessment Services page.
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