Product Sustainability for Activated Carbon Water Filtration Systems

This standard applies to products that utilize activated carbon to treat water for human consumption (e.g., drinking and/or cooking), but excludes products that treat waste water, or industrial/municipal water supplies. . Included Activated Carbon based products shall encompass any of the following characteristics:

• A point-of-entry (POE) drinking water system, but excluding those systems that incorporate a waste stream (back-washing); or

• A plumbed-in or faucet-mounted system; or

• Batch system/device not connected to the plumbing system; or

• A shower filter that does not include a shower head; or

• A replacement component that includes carbon such as a granular activated carbon filter cartridge or a carbon block.

Activated Carbon treatment systems that incorporate trace amounts of non-carbon filter media (e.g. silver or KDF  impregnated) are also to be included under this standard.

The following water treatment systems are excluded from the scope of this standard (even if they contain Activated Carbon media elements within them): Reverse Osmosis (RO) or other membrane Systems that incorporate a waste line; Ultraviolet Light (UV) Systems; Distillation Systems; and End-point devices that incorporate coolers, heaters, or carbonators, etc. These and other excluded product categories are designated for coverage under additional standards within the WQA Sustainability Standard series.

Multi-stage, multi-layer or mixed-bed treatment systems that utilize Activated Carbon, but also incorporate additional types of media (in larger than trace amounts) are also excluded from this version of the standard, but will be incorporated in a later revision, annex to this standard, or different standard.