SUSTAINABILITY Jonathan Price
Kiwa: Clearing the Path to Compliance
As regulatory complexity increases and time-to-market pressures intensify, Kiwa is focused on making water compliance simpler, faster and more transparent for manufacturers, specifiers and retailers alike, as Jonathan Price, International Development Manager – Construction & Utilities at Kiwa, explains to BKU’s Matt Broughton.
conversations with manufacturers and specifiers are becoming increasingly focused on efficiency and certainty. “The main themes are clarity, consistency and speed,” he explains, noting a growing appetite for compliance routes that align fully with regulation while avoiding unnecessary delays. With overlapping requirements such as KUKreg4, KUKG3, TMV and BS 6920 often creating complexity, there is a clear demand for more integrated testing and certification options. That feedback, Jonathan says, is directly shaping Kiwa’s priorities for the year ahead, with the aim of helping customers follow the law, verify compliance and bring products to market more quickly.
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Alongside this, Kiwa is seeing increased interest around the European Drinking Water Directive and how it may influence future product requirements, with manufacturers turning to Kiwa’s wider European network to stay ahead of regulatory change. That need for simplification underpins Kiwa’s overarching ambition for 2026.
s the industry looks ahead to 2026, Kiwa’s Jonathan Price says
Jonathan describes the focus as straightforward: “make compliance clearer, faster and more accessible for the KBB supply chain and wider industries”. This means enabling specifiers and retailers to confidently request “Reg 4-compliant” products, while allowing manufacturers to innovate without unnecessary barriers. Central to this is expanding capacity across Kiwa’s UKAS-accredited testing and streamlining ISO/IEC 17065 product certification decisions under the KUKreg4 scheme, creating what Jonathan describes as “a single, efficient route to demonstrate compliance with the law”. For those less familiar with Kiwa’s role, its water products division provides independent testing, inspection and certification for sanitary and plumbing products used in UK water systems. “Our laboratories operate to ISO/IEC 17025 and our certification to ISO/IEC 17065,” Jonathan explains, supporting manufacturers, distributors, specifiers and installers in demonstrating legal compliance and real-world performance.
In practice, this covers Water Regulation 4 approvals through KUKreg4, TMV Type 2 and Type 3 testing for domestic and healthcare applications, and KUKmat4 certification for
BS 6920 materials in contact with drinking water. Importantly, these schemes can be combined to save both time and cost. Jonathan also highlights that KUKreg4 offers “a fully recognised and regulator-aligned route” to demonstrating Water Regulation 4 compliance, providing a robust alternative to more traditional approval methods while still meeting all legal requirements. Drilling deeper into KUKreg4, Jonathan explains that it is a UKAS-accredited product certification covering a wide range of fittings, from taps and valves to pipes, fittings and appliances. Testing is carried out in accredited laboratories, with certification issued under ISO/IEC 17065 and options for different assurance levels, including five-year retest cycles or annual surveillance. TMV certification follows a similarly rigorous approach, assessing products to the relevant British and healthcare standards to ensure safe outlet temperatures and effective anti-scald protection, with flexible pathways that can be aligned with KUKreg4 where appropriate.
A key message Jonathan is keen to reinforce is the importance of using the phrase “Reg 4-compliant”. Regulation 4, he explains, sits within the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 and sets the legal requirement that fittings must be of appropriate quality and suitable for their intended use. “Using ‘Reg 4-compliant’ language is important because the law references Regulation 4, not any single approval brand,” he says, adding that this approach keeps projects aligned with legislation, widens product choice and supports fair competition among manufacturers who can demonstrate compliance through recognised routes.
Looking to the early months of 2026, Jonathan outlines three immediate priorities: improving efficiency to speed up certification decisions, particularly for KUKreg4; continuing education for specifiers and retailers on how and when to request Reg 4-compliant products; and creating more joined-up projects that bundle KUKreg4, TMV and BS 6920 work into a single, streamlined plan.
Ultimately, Jonathan sees Kiwa’s role as one of confidence-building. “By keeping the conversation anchored to the law, we can protect water quality, give retailers and specifiers clearer choices, and help manufacturers innovate and compete on a level playing field,” he concludes.
22 BKU FEBRUARY 2026
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