Membership Categories

Water is essential for human life. Finding and distributing clean drinking water has been a challenge globally for many centuries.

Today, most consumers get their drinking water from three main sources:

Bottled Water
Tap Water (Municipal Water)
Filtered Water (Home & Restaurant Filtration)

Water has varying characteristics depending on the water’s source. Water can be collected from surface sources such as rivers, streams, lakes, and glaciers. Water can also come from underground sources such as wells, springs, and aquifers.

Precipitation is another source of water, resulting from rain and snow, and it can also be made from sea water using desalination technology. Additionally, most water contains naturally occurring dissolved minerals and chemicals, which within set limits are safe to consume.

How to join IBWA

IBWA offers six categories for membership. With Bottler membership, Supplier membership, Distributor membership, Candidate Bottler Program, Affiliate Program, and International membership, there is a membership level that provides the benefits you need and the access you want.

You may apply for membership by clicking on one of the membership category links below where you can download the application form.

Bottler Membership

IBWA Bottler members are companies that bottle or package water for sale within the United States (whether or not the plant is located in the United States) and that meet IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice standards, which is verified by annual plant inspections.

Supplier Membership

IBWA Supplier members are companies engaged in the rental or sale of equipment, products, supplies or services to the bottled water industry, within the United States (whether or not the company is located in the United States).

Distributor membership

IBWA Distributor members are companies that do not bottle water and are distributors for IBWA Bottler members, and have sales in the United States (whether or not the company is located in the United States).

Affiliate Program

The IBWA Affiliate Program is for individuals or companies interested in establishing a company to bottle or package drinking water. The category is intended solely for the purpose of assisting potential bottlers, allowing them a means of gathering information in preparation for later transition to Bottler membership. Companies are permitted to remain in the Program for a maximum of two years, at which time they must transfer to one of the other IBWA member types.

Once a company in the Affiliate Program begins to produce bottled water, they must transfer to either the IBWA Candidate Bottler Program or Bottler member type to continue the membership.

Candidate Bottler Program

IBWA Candidate Bottlers are companies that bottle or package water within the United States who are not yet prepared to submit to the annual inspection required for IBWA Bottler members. The purpose of this program is to assist Candidate Bottlers in achieving compliance with all FDA and IBWA Bottler member inspection requirements. It allows a bottler to work through a two-year program, which includes a consultative visit from one of the two IBWA-approved, third-party inspection companies. Once a Candidate Bottler’s facility meets the standards of the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice, the company will transfer to Bottler membership.

International membership

IBWA International Bottler members are companies located outside the United States that bottle or package water for sale outside the United States and that meet IBWA Code of Practice standards which is verified by annual plant inspections.