Accreditation
Accreditation is when an organization that provides certification, testing and inspection services is assessed by a third party against internationally recognized standards. It demonstrates the organization’s competence, impartiality and performance capability and is the key to reducing risk and ensuring that consumers, suppliers and purchasers can have confidence in the services provided.
Sustainability Standards today
Ecolabels and certification schemes like the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) have gained prominence as an effective tool to promote social and environmental criteria in international trade and complex supply chains. Today, about 10% of the world’s coffee, 20% of the world’s forests and 40% of white fish comply with one or several sustainability standards (IISD 2010). Coalitions of businesses, nonprofits and governmental agencies are developing standards with sustainability criteria for new sectors and issues.
Credible Standards Systems
Effective certification schemes need to be internationally applicable, independently verified and governed by multi-stakeholder coalitions. Their procedures are governed by ISO and ISEAL rules for standard-setting, certification and accreditation.
Certified Compliance
Independent organizations called certification bodies regularly conduct audits to determine whether a given company complies with the standard’s criteria. Most standards systems audit both the production process and the chain of custody before licensing the label.
Certification bodies are companies or nonprofits with proven experience in auditing and environmental compliance. To be able to grant certificates, they need to demonstrate their competence both in terms of certification skills (for example according to ISO/IEC Guide 65:1996) and in relation to the accreditation standards at hand.
The Role of Accreditation
To ensure the independence of standard-setting and evaluation, most certification schemes appoint a third-party accreditation body to assess the suitability and qualification of certification bodies for their system.
Accreditation is when an organization that provides certification, testing and inspection services is assessed by a third party against internationally recognized standards. It demonstrates the organization’s competence, impartiality and performance capability and is the key to reducing risk and ensuring that consumers, suppliers and purchasers can have confidence in the services provided.
Accreditation Services International is the sole provider of accreditation services to the Forest Stewardship Council, the Marine Stewardship Council and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council. As an international organization with a focus on environmental sustainability, Accreditation Services International’s expertise ensures that audits towards these schemes are conducted with competence and consistency, no matter where they take place.
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