Certification pushes water-efficient products
By Qin Chuan (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-05-20 10:56

The centre, the country's only product certifier, said that 58 kinds of products will be certificated.

Companies can apply for certification of their products.

"We hope the certification work will upgrade the techniques used by manufacturers of water conservation products," said an official with the China Certification and Accreditation Administration.

The quality of water conservation products in China is far from being satisfactory, he said.

For example, 50 per cent of toilets are unqualified, said Yue Zongwen, an engineer with the centre. There are about 1,000 toilet manufacturers in the country.

In October of 2002, only four products including taps, toilets, showers and toilet valves were among the first group of certified products.

Yue said to date more than 200 companies have consulted his centre about the certification, among which 30 have applied for certification of their products.

It is expected that the certification work will help promote the idea of water conservation among manufacturers and consumers, he said.

In the long run, a market entrance system for water conservation products will be established, Yue added.

Gao Zhong, a water expert and board chairman of the Clean Water Alliance, a Chinese water business company, said the certifications will benefit consumers, manufacturers and the environment.

More Chinese consumers are demanding water-efficient products, he said.

"I will certainly buy water efficient showers, taps and toilets," said Jing Peng, a Beijing resident who is decorating his new home.

That is because water prices in Beijing have gone up, he said.

"Besides, in China, many cities are facing serious water shortages so saving water is significant for the environment."

China's per capita freshwater resources are one quarter of the world's average. Nearly 400 of China's 600-plus cities are short of water, particularly in the more densely populated coastal areas.

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