Voluntary certification. Voluntary certification system

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

In today's market conditions, the relationship between producers and consumers has reached a new level. A large abundance of different products makes the buyer think and carefully weigh everything in order to choose a quality product. In such cases, confirmation by a third independent party of the conformity of the product to the declared requirements is required. It provides mandatory and voluntary certification.

What is certification?

This is a procedure for proving the conformity of products to the conditions and standards established by law. Only an independent organization accredited by government ministries and departments can conduct such a check.

Main goals of certification:

• confirmation of the quality level of the goods to the indicators declared by the seller or manufacturer;
• consumer protection fromunscrupulous manufacturer;
• controlling the safety of goods for the he alth and life of the buyer, as well as the environment;
• improving the competitiveness of the product;
• promoting exports and international trade.

The result of certification is issued in writing in the form of a document called a certificate of conformity.

Types of certification

According to the law, there is a voluntary and mandatory certification. Mandatory verification serves to find evidence of product compliance with regulatory requirements. This type of verification is one of the methods of state control of product safety and quality. If the product has passed the test, it is subject to special marking with a mark of conformity. The mark is applied to the packaging, containers and documentation accompanying the goods. The legislation establishes a range of products that are subject to mandatory research.

Voluntary certification is carried out only at the request of an individual or legal entity on a contractual basis between the applicant and an authorized organization. The object of such certification is tangible and intangible products that are not subject to mandatory examination.

Voluntary certification of products is carried out to confirm the compliance of the product with standards, regulatory requirements, specifications, recipes determined by the applicant. According to the law, the applicant in this case may be the manufacturer,seller, supplier and even consumer of goods.

Basically, enterprises decide on voluntary certification in order to promote a new product on the market, increase its competitiveness, as buyers prefer certified products. That is, voluntary certification is a way of positioning products in a market saturated with similar products of a different quality.

Voluntary certification systems

All existing systems of voluntary examination are conditionally divided into the following main groups:

1. Checking products.
2. Analysis of work.
3. Research on service quality.
4. Checking the production quality system.
5. Personnel certification.

Also, certification systems are classified by the number of registered objects. So, they are divided into:

• single-object systems - within their framework they certify objects of the same type (this group includes most of the registered products);
• multi-object systems – they certify two or more types of objects.

Documents for voluntary certification

Voluntary certification is carried out after studying the necessary documents. So, for verification, the applicant must present the following papers:

1. Proof of ownership of the production facility or lease agreement.
2. Passports for products, which must indicate its technical characteristics.
3. Catalogproducts.
4. SES permit for production.
5. List and evaluation of equipment used in production, floor plans.
6. Technological regulations for goods subject to certification.
7. Test results.

If necessary, the certification body may request additional documents. For example, registered technical specifications. In some cases, the list of documents may differ.

Certification Scheme

Certification scheme refers to a certain procedure required for conformity assessment. Conducting due diligence always comes with a cost. Therefore, the main criterion for choosing a certification scheme is to ensure the maximum evidence of compliance with the requirements at minimum cost.

There are about 16 certification schemes in Russia. At the time of application, the applicant proposes the scheme that, in his opinion, is most suitable for conducting the test. But the certification body makes the final choice.

Procedure for conducting a voluntary examination

Voluntary certification is carried out according to a certain scheme, which consists of the following stages:

1. Applying to a certification body. The applicant is eligible to be an entrepreneur, domestic or foreign enterprise, etc.
2. Review of submitted documents by the body and initial inspection of products.
3. Making a decision, concluding an agreement and choosing a certification scheme.



4. Compilation of homogeneous product groups for the selection of a typical representative. Grouping of products takes place in accordance with the rules of systematization of products and product nomenclature specified by law.
5. Selecting a government-accredited testing laboratory.
6. Identification of each type of product from the represented peer group.
7. Drawing up an opinion and sampling, which is drawn up by an act signed by the certification body and the applicant.
8. Research. In the laboratory, product samples are tested using the methods provided for by regulatory documents. If even one indicator does not meet the requirements, the sample is considered not to have passed the examination. The results of the research are included in the protocol, which the laboratory sends to the certification body.
9. Analysis of the results of certified products and making a decision to issue a certificate. If the certification organization has made a negative decision, the applicant receives a reasoned answer.
10. In case of a positive result, the organization issues a certificate and a license allowing the use of the mark of conformity.
11. Entering products into the state register.

Issuing a certificate and applying a mark

The voluntary certification system is actually identical to the mandatory one, since the inspection requires the preparation of the same package of documents. All norms and specifications, based onwhich are being checked, are one base. The only difference between voluntary and mandatory certification is the appearance of the certificate. So, for a mandatory type of document, a yellow form is used, and for a voluntary examination certificate, it is blue.

According to the law, the certificate must indicate the name of the product or service and the name of the recipient. It is also mandatory to indicate GOST or TU, for compliance with which the product was tested.

Another important difference in certification is the marking. So, the sign of voluntary certification has a special inscription "Voluntary certification". The customer enterprise can use the same mark on the product packaging. The mark of voluntary certification on the product always inspires the confidence of the buyer, which as a result has a positive effect on sales volumes.

Certificate validity period

The certificate has a limited validity period. The certification body decides on the period of validity of the document, taking into account the state of production and the results of laboratory tests. It cannot exceed three years or the period of validity of sanitary and epidemiological conclusions.

The certificate of a batch of goods is valid for the period of its implementation, but not more than one year.

Thus, voluntary certification certifies the compliance of products with the quality parameters established by the highest state bodies, and is an integral part of modernproduction.