Dr. Yvette M. Castell
Chief Executive Officer, Acting
Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation trading as JANAAC Global Accreditation

We often hear the terms accreditation and certification being used interchangeably, but is there a difference? Yes, there is! Accreditation as defined in the ISO/IEC 17000:2020 standard is “third-party attestation related to a conformity assessment body conveying formal demonstration of its competence, impartiality and consistent operation in performing specific conformity assessment activities”. Certification on the other hand is defined as “third-party attestation related to an object of conformity assessment, with the exception of accreditation” (ISO/IEC 17000:2020). In other words, while accreditation focuses on confirming a conformity assessment body’s competence, impartiality and consistent operation, certification focuses on the product, process, system, service, individuals etc. meeting specific requirements including those of a standard or regulation.

Accreditation is provided by accreditation bodies (ABs), or by any other body authorized to perform accreditation. ABs assess if a conformity assessment body (e.g. a certification body, testing laboratory, inspection body, or validation/verification body) is competent and can perform their work reliably.  ABs ensure international acceptance and recognition of the accreditation certificates and reports they provide to their clients, through the mutual recognition arrangements (MLAs) they sign with other ABs. Certification is often offered by certification bodies which themselves may be accredited.

The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) both perform a crucial role in establishing and maintaining accreditation systems globally. IAF focuses on the accreditation of certification bodies (those certifying management systems, products, personnel, etc.) and validation/verification bodies, while ILAC focuses on the accreditation of laboratories, inspection bodies, proficiency testing providers, reference material producers and biobanks.

So, by way of example, if XYZ medical laboratory is accredited by an AB to the ISO 15189:2022 international standard (Medical laboratories — Requirements for quality and competence) it is an attestation that the laboratory is competently, impartially and consistently offering medical testing services which are trustworthy and internationally recognized. On the other hand, if ABC Company’s quality management system (QMS) is certified to the ISO 9001:2015 international standard (Quality management systems — Requirements), it means that the organization’s QMS is consistently meeting their customer and stakeholder requirements, while improving their performance, and demonstrating their commitment to the quality of their product, process, system, service etc. So, accreditation validates the certifier and certification validates the business.

Accreditation and certification are like the perfect union, working hand-in-hand and playing a crucial role in creating market access, facilitating international trade, building consumer confidence, building reputation, promoting public health and safety and improving business performance through continual improvement. Indeed, there are combined benefits of accreditation and certification for global trade. When a food manufacturer is certified to a food safety standard, e.g. ISO 22000 (Food safety management systems — Requirements for any organization in the food chain), and the laboratory that conducts testing of its produced foods is accredited, the following benefits can be accrued:

• Meeting of export requirements
• Achieving a competitive advantage over non-accredited and non-certified competitors
• Increased access to overseas markets, more contracts won, and more partnerships forged

Accreditation and certification in combination foster business success as they work together to expand market reach, achieve consistency in quality, increase consumer trust, and foster long term business growth.