When environmental concerns entered mainstream public consciousness, there was a predictable growth in companies offering green products and solutions. In some ways this was exactly what environmentalists had hoped would happen – as the market demand for greener products grew, it would not only develop from a fringe concern into something far more widespread, but also it would bring down prices, making environmentally-friendly products more affordable and removing one of the barriers to purchase. This was mirrored in industry. The growth of organisations offering environmental services opened the way for competition, meaning that the end-user not only got a better deal but there was an increased incentive to engage.
However, one of the issues faced by both consumers and businesses alike has been that of companies who are unable to back up their claims. Whether it is unreliable testing, faulty products or insufficient knowledge, inadequate goods and services risk wasting money at best and could have greater potential consequences. So how can customers have confidence that the goods and services that they are purchasing are reliable and fit for purpose? One of the main mechanisms that we have seen is the development of accreditation standards in environmental areas. How, then, does this work?
What is accreditation? Who checks the checkers? Or rather who tests the testers? It is vital to ensure that organisations that perform any sort of testing are competent, reliable and impartial. This is especially true where environmental testing and management is concerned. Unreliable results could lead to incorrect decisions being taken and have potentially catastrophic results. Accreditation is a method of providing assurance in the technical competence of a person or body to undertake specific tests. Any accredited organisation has shown, against tough international standards, that it has technically competent staff that are all appropriately qualified. It has established that it is impartial and independent. It has demonstrated that it has the appropriate facilities and equipment and that the management and procedures are fit for purpose.
And finally, it has proven that everything is underpinned by a Quality Management System ensuring that customer needs are met and that there are internal review procedures. Standards such as the Monitoring Certification System (MCERTS) and PAS 2050 (Life cycle green house gases) exist for precisely this reason – they ensure that verification bodies are delivering
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reliable and consistent results and can demonstrate this. Accreditation also has a role to play in developing new technologies. For example, organisations that test the power generation of renewable energy sources – such as tidal power and wind farms – can also be accredited, demonstrating that they are delivering reliable and accurate results.
Accreditation and certification As the mechanism for checking the checkers, accreditation also helps to protect end- users. Where environmental technologies are concerned, this is vital – not only does it play its part in ensuring that consumers get what they are paying for, it also underwrites the integrity of the process. If consumers do not see the benefits of environmental technology, then they will be more likely to write it off as a bandwagon. For example, in the field of microgeneration this means that it is crucial there are standards against which producers and installers are measured. Not only should the products fulfil their claims but they should also be installed correctly and to high safety standards. This is where the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) has a role to play. The scheme is in turn accredited, ensuring that it is robust, transparent, and accountable. By ensuring that there is a chain of quality assurance through accredited certification, end-users can have confidence that they are not being ripped off. So how is accreditation managed in the UK?
Introducing UKAS Under an EU Directive, each member state has to appoint a single National Accreditation Body (NAB) which is responsible for assessing against internationally-recognised standards
CONFIDENCE AND COMPETENCE
How accreditation is helping industry to achieve environmental objectives By Jon Murthy, UKAS Marketing Manager
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