ASI and UKAS sign partnership agreement

Assurance Services International (ASI) and the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the intention of bringing together UKAS accreditation and ASI assurance for future collaboration in the field of sustainability.

ASI formalised an agreement with the German National Accreditation Body (NAB), Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle (DAkkS) earlier this year. UKAS is the next National Accreditation Body within Europe to establish a framework for cooperation, between ASI and UKAS, to implement the ASI Two-Tier Assurance Program in the UK, for ASI partner voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) and sustainability initiatives. This collaboration is expected to strengthen the work of both organisations and deepen their understanding of each other’s processes.

Matt Gantley, UKAS Chief Executive, said: “UKAS is delighted to be partnering with ASI, a body that has earned a reputation for excellence and integrity in the sustainability sector. The MoU represents an opportunity to combine our strengths and experience, and should provide a wide range of benefits for all parties.  The signing of the agreement is very timely, coming in the year when World Accreditation Day (#WAD2021) highlights the role of accreditation in supporting the implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goals.”

Guntars Lagūns, Managing Director, ASI said: “UKAS and ASI have been in close contact for nearly 3 years to make this collaboration possible. This agreement is a milestone for ASI and supports our vision to develop strategic partnerships with National Accreditation Bodies throughout Europe. UKAS is indeed a strong player in the world of accreditation, and we look forward to working together on identifying common synergies and priorities.”

About ASI

ASI is the leading global assurance provider for social and environmental standard systems. Our mission is to assure the credibility of voluntary sustainability standards and initiatives and support them to deliver real social and environmental impact through our assurance services. For more information about ASI, please visit: www.asi-assurance.org

About United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS)

The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the National Accreditation Body for the UK. Its role is to check that organisations providing conformity assessment services such as certification, testing, inspection and calibration services, are meeting a required standard of performance. The assessment criteria used by UKAS are internationally recognised as being the best indicators of accurate, impartial and consistent performance. UKAS accreditation demonstrates an organisation’s competence, impartiality and performance capability against internationally recognised standards. For further information about UKAS accreditation, please visit: www.ukas.com.