World Accreditation Day – 9 June 2021
This year’s theme will focus on how accreditations support ‘the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).’ adopted at the UN Summit in September 2015 it specifically invites the creation of an integrated, holistic, multi-stakeholder approach.
What Are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?
The United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the world’s call to action on the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing humanity and the natural world.
The SDGs encourage authorities to deliver on national and international commitments such as asking governments to address human rights, water and energy efficiency, public health, and other policy areas. It is a blueprint for achieving a better more sustainable future for everyone by tackling issues such as poverty, climate change, environmental degradation, and prosperity, and accreditation plays a leading role in tackling them.
Where do you start with sustainable development goals?
For those that are at the beginning of a sustainability journey, it can be a challenge to know how to get started and how to communicate intentions as not all the 17 SDGs are equally relevant to a business. The extent to which a company can contribute to each, and the risks and opportunities they represent, will depend on many factors and the key, therefore, is to help businesses better understand the SDGs. To translate these into a business context and introduce impactful measures to align with the SDGs.
The third-party management systems such as Quality Management Systems, Environmental Management System are frequently specified to operate in the global market place and it can demonstrate compliance to a standard, a code of practice or regulatory requirement and it is frequently used in most areas covered by the SDG’s. A recently released UNIDO-IAF-ILAC brochure highlights the contribution of accredited conformity assessment services to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Here are some key points from the publication on how accreditation supports a few of the SDGs
SDG 3 Good health and well being
Health is crucially important and the cornerstone for human development, provision for universal health remains a global challenge and the use of accreditation within the health and social care sector can help drive up the quality and consistency of services provided by:
- Point of care testing and controlling and regulating the environment of medical laboratories to establish trust with patients test results
- Measurement of laboratories to enable accuracy and traceability
Additionally, to the essential accreditation to enable laboratories to demonstrate their competence to deliver these services reliably the ISO 9001 standard provides organisations that deliver health and social care services a way to continuously support quality.
SDG 6 Clean water and sanitation
Safe food and clean drinking water
Food and water safety are an essential part of everyday life and accreditation provides assurance and confidence that the quality and safety throughout the supply chain meets specific requirements by accredited laboratories, certification bodies and inspection bodies by:
- Testing food and water for a wide range of chemicals, packaging, and environmental testing.
- Certification schemes ensure food and water suppliers throughout the supply chain comply with agreed requirements such as those for food safety management systems, product certification and food labelling.
- Inspection through the supply chain for the provision of safe food and clean drinking water including inspections of plant health, slaughterhouses, and hotels.
SDG 7 Affordable and clean energy
Certification of energy management systems can help business improve energy-related performance and identify energy reduction opportunities that enhance the use of energy through energy efficiency by:
- Testing gas and fuels and that they meet their intended purpose
- Testing new technologies such as wind energy
- Testing solar panels and turbines for durability, safety, and environmentally friendly considerations
SDG 8 Decent work and economic growth
Health and safety in the workplace are a core element and has a wide impact on sustainable development in a business. They face increasing social, commercial, and regulatory pressures to assess and control hazards and risks from their operations and accreditation helps by:
- Testing occupational hygiene, asbestos fibres, and air monitoring
- Identifying land and air pollutants and electrical safety
Certification of Occupational Health and Safety Management systems or other management systems can help support effective management of health and safety in the workplace ensuring sustainable environmental concerns related to health and safety in the workplace are effectively managed.
SDG 9 Industry, innovation, and infrastructure
Industry and manufacturing are the main drivers of sustained economic growth and sustainable development, accreditation enables consumers, suppliers, purchasers, and regulators to have confidence that products placed on the market are safe and meet the manufacturer’s claims by:
- the testing of food, fuels, toys, construction products and electricals
- safety testing of products including children’s toys, glass wear, packaging prams
- chemical analysis to ensure safe use of chemicals inspection through supply chains, equipment production capability assessment
SDG 13 Climate action
Waste management and recycling will help to future proof communities with cleaner energy, reductions in pollution and better use of effective chemicals and waste management solutions, accreditation manages the control of these by:
- Testing materials such as recycled oil and wastewater
- Testing for a range of environmentally related activities such as drinking water and agricultural soils and sediment
- Inspection of activities that have an environmental impact including the manufacture of paper, glass, and recycling.
Certification of environmental management and energy management systems, quality management certification also provides a foundation of consistency of procedures across businesses in accordance with specific national or regional waste management regulations.
