Water gets a tick of approval

It seems like everywhere you turn lately the issue of water is the number one topic. If it's not the State and federal governments deciding the fate of the Murray-Darling, it's the water police patrolling the suburbs looking for water wasters.

The old days of hosing the pavement or driveway are long gone, however, between 20-60% of household water in Australian cities is still being used externally. The Smart WaterMark scheme, which has been developed to address water conservation around the home, is a voluntary, not-for-profit program that allows consumers to make an informed choice towards saving water via the distinctive Smart Approved WaterMark logo.

The scheme was set up in 2004 by four associations; Australian Water Association, Irrigation Association, Nursery and Garden Industry Association and the Water Services Association. The scheme recently received a grant of $1.18 million from the federal government, which secures it until 2010, and is the sister scheme to the Wells rating system.

Julian Gray, CEO of Smart Approved Watermark believes the scheme is necessary because it's not just an issue of drought anymore, but rather the long term effects of climate change that will transform water use in the future.

"This is the general issue for the water industry, in that it needs to look at the ways water can be used more effectively," he says.

"The whole purpose of the scheme is to make people think about how they use water around the home. We know that on average about 35% of water used in the home is external."

"The way it works is simple. If you have a product or service that saves water then you lodge an application, which is reviewed by an independent panel of experts who assess the application and, if it meets the criteria, then it is issued with a tick," he says.

"We are comparable to the Heart Foundation tick. We are seeing innovative products which we are trying to promote and there are elements of those products that are difficult to rate. The tick advises consumers that the use of those products or services will reduce their water consumption," he says.

"There are two parts in the process with regards to getting the tick. The first is applying to the independent technical panel with an application fee. If the panel agrees that it meets the grade, then you licence the logo for two years at a cost of $200."

"The whole purpose of the scheme is to reduce people's water use around the home. The importance of the brand is that people can believe in it. We don't want to be commercial so that people think that you can buy your way into it."

Gray believes that there are a lot of people in the community that have great ideas on how to save water. He hopes that, by having the Smart Approved Watermark tick, it will enable small businesses to get an advantage in the marketplace.

"We get contacted by people who have great ideas but are at a loss on where to go with it. The government and water utilities are all getting the same questions. There is a wider issue of support that industry and government needs to look at," he says.

"We see ourselves as a complementary brand to other schemes. The government has funded the scheme which is a very positive step. At this stage there is no silver bullet that is going to fix the water crisis but, if everyone works together, the results can be very good."