The Value of Accreditation

The Value of Accreditation

SRI is accredited by ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB), Raad voor Accreditatie (RvA (C074)), and the International Automotive Task Force (IATF). See links below to view certificates:

Accreditation by a recognized body, such as ANAB, RvA (C074), and IATF, ensures the impartiality and competence of the certification body and fosters confidence and acceptance by end users in the public and private sectors of a certification body’s certifications.

Accreditation is important because this is how an authoritative body (such as ANAB, RvA (C074), etc) gives formal recognition that an organization, such as SRI, is competent to carry out specific tasks. Accreditation provides assurance to those seeking certification that the certification body operates according to internationally accepted criteria.

An organization should consider the reputation and competence of the certification body it selects. Accreditation assures the organization that the certification body is competent to evaluate its systems and that their customers can value the judgments of the certification body.

Unaccredited certification bodies may or may not operate according to international requirements. They may offer a certificate without an audit or without any real understanding of an organization’s processes. The value of this type of certificate would be questionable for the certified organization and its customers.

Why International Standards are Important

ISO does not decide when to develop a new standard. Instead, ISO responds to a request from industry or other stakeholders, such as consumer groups. Typically, an industry sector or group communicates the need for a standard to its national member who then contacts ISO.

Once the need for a standard has been established, a committee of experts meet to discuss and negotiate a draft standard. Once the draft is developed, it is shared with members of ISO, who are then asked to comment and vote on it. If a consensus is reached the draft becomes an ISO standard, otherwise it goes back to the technical committee for further edits.

ISO standards are developed by groups of experts from all over the world, which are part of larger groups called technical committees. The technical committees are made up of experts from the relevant industry, but also from consumer associations, academia, NGOs and government. These experts negotiate all aspects of the standard, including its scope, key definitions, and content.

Developing ISO standards is a consensus-based approach and comments from stakeholders are taken into account. ISO standards are developed by experts from around the globe, and therefore, are recognized and accepted worldwide.