Accredited vs non-accredited certification: why does it matter?

In certification and compliance matters, a lot of jargon gets thrown around which can sometimes seem perplexing.

However, these terms have distinguishing differences that could make or break your business’ success. At Citation Certification, our goal is to broaden your understanding of ISO certification and guide you through the complexities of certification through training.

In this blog, we clear the air around accredited versus non-accredited certification and emphasise the value of being certified by an accredited body.

What is accredited certification vs non-accredited certification?

Accredited ISO certification means an independent certification body, recognised by an independent accreditation body, has issued a certificate to provide written assurance of compliance.

If you have a non-accredited certification, it means you have implemented the relevant ISO standards to the best of your ability, but you have not been issued a certificate from an accredited certification body.

While non-accredited certification bodies can provide an in-depth assessment of your business’ compliance with international standards, you cannot guarantee their competence or impartiality for customers and suppliers.

There are tens of thousands of ISO standards around the world and not all certification bodies are accredited for them. In fact, sometimes there aren’t even accreditations available for independent bodies.

Why does accreditation matter?

Accreditation is crucial when there are legal or contractual requirements to be compliant with a standard like ISO 27001. You cannot expect customers and suppliers to accept a statement claiming your organisation is “ISO 27001 Compliant” without proof to back it up.

If you’re providing a product or service and claim to be compliant, there can be damaging consequences if this turns out to be false. You would be in breach of contract, so you would need to disclose this with the customer or supplier and there could be legal consequences.

In this case, an accredited ISO certification can safeguard your business from:

• Breach of contract
• Lost sales and business
• Lost trust and loyalty from customers and suppliers
• Reputation damage.

Work with an internationally accredited business

At Citation Certification, we’re accredited by JAS-ANZ (Joint Accreditation System – Australia and New Zealand), meaning all our accredited Certificates of Approval are issued under the JAS-ANZ accredited system in Australia.

For more than 25 years, we’ve been guiding businesses of all sizes and industries through the complexities of certification. We know our clients need an experienced hand to succeed, which is why we take the time to listen to our clients and keep up with the latest standards to ensure you achieve your certification goals.

We understand the challenges Australian businesses face day-to-day. Let us help drive better outcomes for your business with continual improvement through certification.