Vietnam notifies draft on water saving label scheme 
On October 18, 2018, Vietnam’s Draft Notice on Standards to Identify Water Saving Products and Equipment (“Draft Notice”) was notified on the WTO/TBT. The draft is based on the “Governmental Decree No. 54/2015/ND-CP on incentives for conservation and efficient use of water”, which is governed by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and sets out criteria for identifying water-saving products and equipment.
The draft circular consists of 11 articles and one annex. The list of products, equipment and appliances to be covered by this scheme is set out in Article 4, and is as follows
- shower head
- faucet
- toilet bowl
- urinal
- washing machine
- dishwasher
Efficiency of water saving will be divided into 3 levels, with Level 1 being the lowest and Level 3 being the most capable of saving water. After assessing the conformity of the product, business entities can display s water-saving label to each product. The design of the label are set out in Annex I of this draft circular as follows:
The information to be included on the water-saving label is as follows:
(a) Approval number
The number will be issued by approval organizations and represented in the form of a code/barcode. The following minimum information must be provided:
- Name and address of the approval organizations
- Information about the business entity to whom the water-saving label is issued
- Information on products on which the water-saving label was displayed
(b) The efficiency of water use level of the product
It is represented by the shape of a star. Level 1 corresponds to one star, level 2 to two stars, and level 3 to three stars.
