Accreditation is the foundation for trustworthy sustainability certification

A sustainability standard can be a powerful tool for achieving environmental and social goals across a supply chain, but it is only as good as the way it plays out in the world. Take soccer as an analogy: the sport’s governing body codifies the rules of the game, and each league hires referees to monitor the individual matches, but someone still has to ensure that those referees fully understand the rules and apply them in a fair and consistent manner every time the players step out onto the pitch.

While sustainability certification is no game, it does require fairness and consistency to function well over the long term. To achieve that, a scheme owner needs a strong accreditation body that can determine how well each certifier (also referred to as a Conformity Assessment Body, or CAB) is assessing clients against a standard’s criteria. If a certifier fails to operate in a competent and credible manner, the scheme collapses under the weight of mistrust. That failure calls the entire standard into question, sowing doubt about its veracity and impact, and potentially harming the ability of certificate holders to meet market demands and comply with government regulations.

How accreditation works

It all begins with a strong standard. A scheme owner starts by setting the goals—be they environmental, social, and/or economic—and establishes criteria for measuring progress toward those goals. It is then the job of a scheme’s certifiers to assess whether or not certification applicants are meeting enough of the criteria to earn the use of the standard’s label in the marketplace. But this summary is missing a crucial step. To maintain the integrity of its standard, a scheme owner must also ensure that its certifiers are doing their job as intended.

That’s where accreditation comes in. A strong accreditation body assesses whether or not certifiers are applying a sustainability standard in a consistent manner and provides those certifiers with structured feedback to address any gaps that may exist.

An accreditation body achieves these goals through a combination of assessment activities. These include:

• A desk review of a certifier’s application and documentation
• An office assessment, which can be done remotely or onsite, to evaluate a certifier’s management system, competence, impartiality, and operational processes
• A witness assessment, which involves assessors observing actual field audits to verify that the certifier applies the standard’s requirements consistently and competently

The benefits of a strong accreditation body

Accreditation is the critical link between an ambitious standard and real-world results. It functions as the foundation upon which an effective sustainability standard rests, supporting scheme owners in a variety of ways:

Consistency. Are a scheme’s certifiers evaluating new applicants and existing certificate holders with the same level of rigor and fidelity to the standard, or are some certifiers more lenient than their peers? Inconsistency dilutes the credibility of a standard, creating a path for businesses to benefit from a scheme’s halo effect without doing the actual work, while simultaneously penalizing those that are meeting expectations.

Independence. One of the hallmarks of sustainability certification is that scheme owners are independent third parties, separate from the businesses being evaluated for certification. By partnering with a robust accreditation body, a scheme owner underscores that neutrality and strengthens confidence in its standard, showing the world that certification claims rest on an independently verified process.

Accountability. Supply chains can be long and complex, with many moving parts, and even the most diligent scheme owner cannot guarantee perfection. But when challenges inevitably arise, a strong accreditation body helps scheme owners detect and remediate those problems sooner. It also drives continuous improvement by requiring certifiers to correct deficiencies and, where necessary, recommending a certifier’s suspension if it fails to meet the requirements.

Due diligence. In today’s tight regulatory environment, the price of doing business includes greater scrutiny from governments and other external actors, via due-diligence requirements, anti-greenwashing laws, and rigorous sourcing and production oversight. A strong accreditation body can help ensure that certifiers operate competently and consistently, giving scheme owners and the market greater confidence in certification claims and sustainability reporting.

Public trust. For a standard to be credible and meaningful, it must also earn and maintain the trust of consumers, investors, and communities. A strong accreditation body—one that’s diligent about auditing the auditors—drives trust in certification labels and all of the products that carry them.

What to look for in an accreditation body

Rigorous accreditation is the foundation of a strong standard, but what does that actually mean in practice? A scheme owner needs an accreditation body that conducts independent assessments and has no conflicts of interest that might color the results of its assessments. An accreditation body must have strong technical competence and expertise, including a thorough understanding of certification systems and the sectors in which those systems operate. And a scheme owner needs to know that its accreditation body is evaluating certifiers against globally recognized benchmarks.

While an accreditation body’s expertise is extremely important, it is just as crucial to know how that body operates. An effective accreditation body must assess certifiers in a consistent manner and ensure that the accreditation process is clear and transparent. Finally, it is also important for scheme owners to choose an agile accreditation partner, one that has the ability to keep pace with quickly evolving demands. As supply chains come under ever-increasing scrutiny from regulators, markets, investors, and civil society, a strong accreditation partner is the ballast that helps a scheme remain steady in choppy waters—maintaining confidence in its certification bodies and protecting its standard around the world.

Trust is much more than a formality

On the surface, accreditation might seem like nothing more than a bothersome set of administrative and procedural requirements, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. There is a world of difference between claiming a sustainability impact and proving it. If trust is the currency of sustainability systems, robust accreditation is the vault that secures it.

The accreditation process gives a scheme owner confidence that its certifiers operate competently, consistently, and in keeping with internationally recognized norms. By investing in independent oversight, a scheme owner maintains confidence in its standard, which is essential to the long-term efficacy and survival of its certification system.

For information about ASI North America’s accreditation services, visit our Apply for Accreditation page or contact us directly.