What is ISO 46001?
ISO 46001 is the international standard for water efficiency management systems: requirements, with guidance, for setting up, running and continually improving how an organization uses water.
Who uses ISO 46001
Per its published scope, the standard applies to organizations of all types and sizes that use water, and it is written for end users rather than water utilities. Typical adopters are factories, food and dairy plants, hospitals, campuses, hotels and airports that already run ISO 14001 or ISO 50001 and want water handled the same way.
Edition, amendment and approach
The first edition was approved on 29 July 2019 and is listed as valid, amended by ISO 46001:2019/Amd 1:2024, per the Swedish Institute for Standards catalogue. Its scope names a reduce, replace or reuse approach: efficient fittings and leak monitoring, substituting reclaimed water or rainwater for drinking water where feasible, and recycling process or grey water.
The water data behind an ISO 46001 baseline
A water baseline needs attributable use, not one inlet total. aQ WaterGuard sub-meters lines, floors, RO plants and STPs, and solves the water balance equation every 60 seconds, so the unaccounted loss term shows up as its own number. Baselines are regressed against cooling and heating degree days, and uploading 6 to 12 months of past bills gives a starting baseline on day one.