The latest label

There are labels that indicate whether certain products you buy are organic, or made by workers receiving fair wages, or are from forests managed sustainably. Now, the Alliance for Water Stewardship is developing standards for a sustainable water certification. Six environmental groups, including the World Wildlife Fund and The Nature Conservancy, have gotten behind their efforts.

The label would indicate that the water used to make the product—be it soda, beer, a T-shirt or shampoo—came from a healthy and sustainable water system that isn’t in danger of being compromised by drought, pollution or other threats. The alliance hopes the label will be in effect by 2011.