Benefits of becoming a SANBWA member
For bottlers
The main benefit for bottlers of becoming a SANBWA member is that the SANBWA Bottled Water Standard ensures conformance to all legal, food safety and quality legislation and best practice. For small bottlers, it additionally offers a sensible system of progression while its compatibility with GFSI standards ensures relevance for bottlers that would like to advance to Quality Management Systems and Certification.
Other benefits include:
- Cost savings – SANBWA’s independent third-party auditors are qualified and accredited to offer certification in addition to the SANBWA audit, saving time and costs. We are also actively working towards having the SANBWA standard accepted by the retail industry to eliminate duplicate audits.
- Access to knowledge – SANBWA, through its affiliate membership of EFBW and ICBWA, is in contact with all international bottled water bodies, and share international news and updates with our members. We also have the inside track on industry issues and provide members with immediate access to industry technical information as well as industry issues, standards and legislation. Further, we provide guidelines for environmental stewardship.
- Industry promotion – SANBWA promotes the industry’s performance to all stakeholders. By supporting the industry through SANBWA, the industry will grow and so too will our members’ businesses.
- Industry representation – SANBWA liaises directly with the Department of Health regarding legislation and classification of new category entrants. We also represent members on all relevant advisory/decision-making boards e.g. SABS, SANCU, CGCSA, FSI, Codex through EFBW and the Department of Health. Members receive the monthly electronic newsletter, ‘The Source’, providing water news from around the globe, and participate in SANBWA’s AGM and information sessions.
- An industry voice – SANBWA has a public relations and media liaison programme, and regularly responds to the three main threats facing the industry: green activism, ignorance on the part of the consumer, and negative perceptions regarding bottled water. It also promotes the industry’s performance, and members’ products to the trade and media through, among others, being listed in the Ripples & Waves newsletter twice a year, being listed on the SANBWA website.
For affiliates
While many of the activities listed above also have relevance for affiliate members, the benefit for affiliate members is that, by supporting the bottled water industry, the industry will grow and so, too, their relationship with it.
Other benefits include access to the knowledge that SANBWA gleans from its relationships with the Department of Health, SABS, SANCU, CGCSA, FSI, and Codex, for example. Affiliate members are also listed in the Ripples & Waves newsletter twice a year, listed on the SANBWA website, receive the receive the monthly electronic newsletter, ‘The Source’, providing water news from around the globe, and receive an SANBWA’s AGM information session.
Benefits specific to retailers, in addition to those above, include:
The SANBWA Standard and audit is being benchmarked against the GFSI standards used by the retail industry. Upon acceptance, SANBWA audits will complement the retail industry’s programme.
SANBWA will provide technical expertise to keep the retail bottled water requirements updated for non-members that receive the CGCSA FSI audit.
SANBWA liaises directly with the Department of Health regarding legislation and classification of new category entrants.
Retailers will be able to provide input into industry issues, standards and legislation by serving on the SANBWA Standard Technical Advisory Committee.