In modern 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 product compliance with the stated requirements is required. It provides mandatory and voluntary certification.
What is certification?
This is a procedure for proving compliance of products with the conditions and norms established by law. Such an inspection is entitled to be carried out only by an independent organization accredited by state ministries and departments.
The main objectives of certification:
- confirmation of the quality level of the goods to the indicators declared by the seller or manufacturer;
- consumer protection from an unscrupulous manufacturer;
- monitoring the safety of the goods for the health and life of the buyer, as well as the environment;
- increasing the competitiveness of goods;
- stimulation of export and trade in the international market.
The certification result is made out in writing in the form of a document called a certificate of conformity.
Types of Certification
According to the legislation, there is a voluntary and mandatory certification. A mandatory check serves as a search for evidence of product compliance with regulatory requirements. This type of inspection is one of the ways of state control of safety and product quality. If the product has passed the inspection, it is subject to special marking with a conformity mark. The mark is applied to packaging, containers and documentation accompanying the goods. The legislation establishes the product range, which is 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 the authorized organization. The object of such certification is tangible and intangible products, which do not fall under the mandatory examination.
Voluntary certification of products is carried out to confirm compliance of the product with standards, regulatory requirements, technical specifications, and the formulation determined by the applicant. According to the law, the applicant in this case may be the manufacturer, seller, supplier and even consumer of the 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 different quality.
Voluntary Certification Systems
All existing systems of voluntary examination are conditionally divided into the following main groups:
- Product Verification.
- Job analysis.
- Service quality research.
- Checking the production quality system.
- Personnel certification.
Certification systems are also classified by the number of registered objects. So, they are divided into:
- single-object systems - within their framework they certify objects of one type (most of the registered products belong to this group);
- polyobject systems - two or more types of objects are certified in them.
Documents for voluntary certification
Voluntary certification is carried out after studying the necessary documents. So, to conduct the audit, the applicant must present the following papers:
- Certificate of ownership of the premises, or lease.
- Passports for products in which their technical characteristics should be indicated.
- Product Catalog.
- SES permit for production.
- List and assessment of equipment used in production, floor plans.
- The technological regulation of the goods subject to certification.
- Test results.
If necessary , the certification body may require additional documents. For example, registered TU. In some cases, the list of documents may vary.
Certification scheme
Certification scheme means a certain procedure required for conformity assessment. Examination is always accompanied by costs. Therefore, the main criterion for choosing a certification scheme is to ensure maximum evidence of compliance with minimum costs.
In Russia, there are about 16 certification schemes. At the time of filing the application, the applicant proposes a scheme, which, at his discretion, is most suitable for conducting an audit. But the final choice is made by the certification body.
Voluntary Examination Procedure
Voluntary certification is carried out according to a certain scheme, which consists of the following stages:
- Applying to a certification organization. The applicant has the right to be an entrepreneur, domestic or foreign enterprise, etc.
- Examination by the body of the submitted documents and initial inspection of the products.
- Decision making, conclusion of an agreement and selection of certification scheme.
- Compilation of homogeneous product groups for the selection of a typical representative. Grouping of products takes place in accordance with the legislation of the systematization of products and product nomenclature.
- Selection of a testing laboratory accredited by government agencies.
- Identification of each type of product from a represented homogeneous group.
- Drawing up a conclusion and sampling, which is drawn up by an act signed by the certification body and the applicant.
- Researching. In the laboratory, product samples are tested using the methods provided by regulatory documents. If even one indicator does not meet the requirements, the sample is considered to have failed the examination. The research results are in the protocol that the laboratory sends to the certification body.
- Analysis of the results of certified products and the decision to issue a certificate. If the certification organization has made a negative decision, the applicant receives a reasoned response.
- In case of a positive result, the organization issues a certificate and a license allowing the use of the conformity mark.
- Entering products in the state register.
Certificate issuance and marking
The voluntary certification system is virtually identical to the mandatory one, since the audit requires preparation of the same package of documents. All the norms and technical conditions on the basis of which the audit is carried out constitute one base. The only thing that distinguishes voluntary and mandatory certification is the appearance of the certificate. So, for the required type of document, a yellow form is used, and for a certificate of voluntary examination - blue.
According to the law, the certificate must indicate the name of the product or service and the name of the recipient. Also, GOST or TU must be indicated, for compliance with which the products were inspected.
Another important difference of certification is labeling. So, the sign of voluntary certification has a special inscription “Voluntary certification”. The customer can use the same mark on the packaging of products. The sign of voluntary certification on a product always arouses customer confidence, which as a result has a positive effect on sales volumes.
Certificate Validity
The certificate has a limited validity period. The certification body decides on the validity of the document, taking into account the state of production and the results of laboratory studies. It may not exceed three years or the period of validity of the sanitary and epidemiological conclusions.
The validity of the certificate of the consignment of goods applies to the period of its sale, but not more than one year.
Thus, voluntary certification certifies the conformity of products with quality parameters established by the highest state bodies, and is an integral part of modern production.