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 Limited (ABCL) involved in the extraction and bottling of water must comply with the Australasian Bottled Water Institute (ABWI) Model Code. This Model Code sets the benchmark for safety, quality, and environmental responsibility in the packaged water industry.

Audits of ABWI-certified operations are conducted solely against the Model Code and must be performed by ABCL-approved auditors. To obtain a current list of accredited auditors, please contact ABCL directly.

Training requirements under the ABWI Model Code 2025:

• During each hour of production, a person with a QAC Tier 2 certificate must be onsite to supervise operations of an ABWI-certified bottled water plant. The facility must also be managed (onsite or remotely) by at least one person with a current QAC Tier 1 certificate.
• ABWI-certified water sources are required to operate under the management of at least one person that holds a current QAC Tier 1 certificate.
• ABWI-certified bulk water transport operators must operate under the management of at least one person that holds a current QAC Tier 2 certificate.

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 2025

ABWI Audit Requirements

Download the ABWI Model Code Auditors Checklist here

Members may find the auditors checklist useful to support internal audits and prepare for ABWI certification

ABWI QAC 2025 Training

Tier 1 Training Session dates:

23 July 10am – 1pm
3 September 9am-12pm
19 Nov 12pm – 3pm

Register for one of these sessions here.

For information about Tier 2 Training Sessions, please contact Paula.

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 information provided to ABCL by member bottlers, source owners/operators.

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