Bottled and packaged waters can come in still, sparkling and flavoured varieties.

Many consumers enjoy the convenience, taste and quality of bottled water. Bottled water plays an important and healthy part in ensuring we remain hydrated at your convenience

The non-alcoholic beverages industry provides a number of packaged water options including, spring water, purified water, mineral water, alkaline water and packaged water. Increasingly, low and no kilojoule flavoured waters are being launched in Australia as a healthy addition for consumers who want convenient and refreshing drinks without worrying about kilojoules.

The Health Star Rating system scores plain bottled water with 5 stars, as the healthiest beverage option and 4.5 stars for unsweetened, flavoured waters, in recognition of their hydration benefits.

Regulation of Bottled and Packaged Water

All Members of the Australian Beverages Council involved in the extraction and bottling of water must adhere to the Model Code of the Australasian Bottled Water Institute (ABWI) Model Code. The Model Code ensures safety, quality and environmental responsibility.

The Model Codes requires any ABWI certified plant to have at least one member of staff who has successfully completed the ABWI Quality Assurance Certificate [QAC] course on duty, at all times, when the facility is in operation. The QAC course must be taken every three years to maintain the qualification.

The ABWI Model Code is the only dedicated bottled water standard of its kind in Australia and is aligned with the requirements under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (FSC). In some cases, the requirements of the Model Code are stricter than that of the FSC. This provides guarantee to consumers that ABWI-certified products are of the highest quality.For more information on ABWI packaged water and the auditing process, check out our resources below:

ABWI Packaged Water Brochure

ABWI Packaged Water Factsheet

ABWI Model Code 2020

ABWI Audit Requirements

ABWI QAC 2023 Training

The ABWI QAC course is now available as an online training with a virtual workshop and online exam. Multiple workshops will be held throughout the year.

The following dates are scheduled for 2023:

• Thursday 30 March, 9AM – 1PM AEDT
• Wednesday 26 July, 1PM – 5PM AEST
• Wednesday 27 September, 9AM – 1PM AEST
• Wednesday 29 November, 1PM – 5PM AEDT

Register your interest here to complete the online course and attend one of the scheduled virtual workshops.

ABWI QAC Online Course & Virtual Workshop Information

Onsite training is also available for companies with large numbers of employees requiring training. For further information and pricing, please contact admin@ausbev.org.

Water Maps

Responsible use of one of the country’s most precious resources, water, must be the top priority for all users of groundwater be that households, agriculture or industries including the bottled water sector. The interactive Australian bottled water industry extraction map is an initiative of the Australian Beverages Council that is designed to provide interested stakeholders with a range of relevant information relating to water extracted for commercial water bottling purposes.

⁺ water map data is aggregated from ABCL members.

Extraction Map

• The bottled and packaged water industry contributes more than $700 million to the economy each year
• Adult men should drink 2.6 litres and adult women should drink 2.1 litres of fluid a day (including plain water, milk and other drinks)
• About 4 in 10 of us don’t drink enough water each day