Accreditation refers to third-party verification relating to a conformity assessment body, which formally demonstrates its competence to perform specific conformity assessment tasks” Accreditation, with its many potential benefits for the quality of goods and the provision of services in the supply chain, is finding practical applications in a wide range of activities in all sectors of the economy, from fishing to forestry, construction to communications. Basically, it is an endorsement of the competence, reliability, independence and integrity of the conformity assessment body (CAB) in carrying out its conformity assessment activities.

In everyday language the terms accreditation and certification are often used interchangeably. However, in the conformity assessment industry, these terms have very different and specific meanings.

Certification is “third-party verification relating to products, processes, systems or individuals.” (ISO/IEC 17000:2004)

A growing number of businesses are choosing to voluntarily seek accreditation because they recognise the opportunities it offers to demonstrate internal efficiency and best practices.