How can we accelerate innovation whilst upholding the rigour of Regulation 31?
Challenge
Regulation 31 (Reg31) plays a vital role in safeguarding public health by ensuring all materials and products used in contact with drinking water are safe and do not compromise water quality. It is a cornerstone of the UK’s water safety standards and a critical requirement for deploying new innovations across water networks.
However, the current process for achieving Regulation 31 approval has become a major bottleneck to innovation. The number of accredited testing laboratories in the UK has been decreasing, leading to long wait times and high costs that slow down or even halt the deployment of new technologies. This affects not only start-ups and suppliers but also water companies eager to adopt more sustainable, efficient, or customer-focused solutions.
As the sector faces increasing pressure to reduce leakage, improve resilience, and decarbonise operations, the ability to trial and scale novel solutions safely and quickly is more important than ever. Facilities like the forthcoming National Leakage Research and Test Centre will offer valuable test environments, but without full Reg31 approval, these innovations cannot be deployed on real-world assets – creating a frustrating gap between innovation and implementation. Solving this challenge is critical to enabling the sector to improve, therefore we must work together to figure out how we can uphold the rigorous standards of regulation 31 whilst accelerating the pace of innovation.
How we will do it
This sprint will bring together key players, including DWI, water companies, innovators and suppliers of new products, to examine the Regulation 31 approval journey from end to end. It will:
- Identify & prioritise the biggest blockers and identify opportunities for improvement in the Reg31 process
- Develop viable proposals to reduce approval backlogs and accelerate innovation
- Shape a collaborative action plan with sector stakeholders
Target Objectives
- A prioritised and targeted list of the key innovation blockers
- Develop proposals to:
- cut the backlog currently waiting for approval
- accelerate innovation
- A consortium of interested parties who will progress projects after IF25
- A high-level business case for expanding certification facilities in the UK
Who will benefit from this sprint?
- Water quality professionals
- Innovators developing water solutions
- Regulators including DWI, DWQR, OFWAT
- Accreditation and laboratory professionals
What will we do?
- Hear from a number of experts on how this process is currently carried out
- Blow away any myths and misunderstandings about current responsibilities
- Work together to produce a desirable route forward that enables innovation to thrive
- Explore and research what has been done already across the globe
- Work with solution providers to develop a number of proposed solutions
- Select at least one of these as a follow-on development project and propose a process
- Create an ongoing stakeholder group to tackle this together
