Glossary of elastomer processing
EU DWD
EU DWD is short for the European Drinking Water Directive, Directive (EU) 2020/2184. It governs the quality of drinking water in the EU and, for the first time, introduces uniform requirements for materials that come into contact with drinking water, including elastomer seals.
What is the EU DWD?
The EU DWD (Drinking Water Directive) is the European Union’s directive on drinking water. The current version, Directive (EU) 2020/2184, replaces the earlier Directive 98/83/EC. It sets limit values for drinking water quality and requires member states to transpose them into national law. In Germany, this is done through the Drinking Water Ordinance (Trinkwasserverordnung).
What does the EU DWD mean for seals?
What is new is that the directive provides for uniform European requirements for materials in contact with drinking water. These include European positive lists of the starting substances that may be used in organic materials such as elastomers. For seals in valves, pipes and appliances, this means the formulation must be aligned with these positive lists.
EU DWD and KTW-BWGL
In Germany, elastomers in contact with drinking water are assessed under the German Environment Agency’s KTW-BWGL. It has been mandatory for elastomers since 1 July 2026 and replaced the former Elastomer Guideline. The EU DWD’s uniform European requirements for materials in contact with drinking water are expected to come into force from January 2027.
EU DWD at SIEGEL
Our EPDM blue is KTW-BWGL compliant and already meets the positive list of the upcoming EU DWD. Our overview of the drinking water sector shows which materials are suitable for your drinking water application. We are happy to check the requirements for your specific use case.
Questions about this term?
Our technical advice
Do you have a specific application or a question about elastomer processing? Talk to us, we will help you with material, process and approval.