From Standard to Reality: Delivering the World’s First ISO 30500 Certification

Over 3.5 billion people worldwide still lack access to safely managed sanitation, and in many regions, non-sewered sanitation systems are among the few viable solutions. Yet for years, despite dozens of pilot projects and promising prototypes, regulators and technology buyers asked a critical question: can these systems reliably deliver what they promise beyond controlled demonstrations? Without a credible way to verify performance, many innovations struggled to scale. 

This challenge was a key reason ISO 30500 was developed – and why I became deeply involved in this work. We have seen firsthand how innovation can stall without regulatory clarity, independent testing, and credible certification. Working alongside Sun Kim, convenor of ISO/PC 305, I collaborated with a global community of experts to translate technical ambition into a standard that could be applied in the real world. 

In January 2025, that effort reached a major milestone when TÜV SÜD awarded the world’s first ISO 30500 certification for a non-sewered sanitation system. This marked the transition of ISO 30500 from a written standard into an operational one. Through rigorous testing and conformity assessment, the system was evaluated against key criteria including pathogen reduction, environmental protection, and operational safety. Achieving this required close collaboration with testing platforms, subject matter experts, and manufacturers willing to design, test, and improve their systems against a clear global benchmark. 

The impact extends far beyond a single certification. Manufacturers now have proven achievable defined performance targets, testing platforms are aligned on evaluation methods, and regulators have a credible basis for approving innovative solutions. Most importantly, communities benefit from sanitation systems that are independently verified to protect their health and the environment. 

Looking ahead, climate-related disruptions such as flooding, and the high cost of sewer connections, are accelerating the need for resilient, non-sewered solutions. Standards like ISO 30500 will play a central role in enabling these systems to be deployed safely, at scale, and with confidence. 

At the World Plumbing Conference in Birmingham 2026, we will co-host an interactive session with testing platforms, manufacturers, and utilities who have applied ISO 30500 in practice. Together, we will talk about lessons learned and discuss how the standard can help address today’s sanitation challenges on the ground and drive the next phase of innovation. 

Chris Chan & Sun Kim