Like every good business, you guarantee the quality you deliver. After all, your products, services, personnel and processes must comply with all the laws and regulations concerning safety, efficiency, control and sustainability. These values all come naturally to you. But convincing potential customers or clients of your good intentions matters, too. Our certification services help you to do this.
Certification can be a useful tool to add credibility, by demonstrating that your product, service, (management) system or employees meet the expectations of your customers. In some cases, certification can even be required by law or contract. Government institutions recognise Kiwa certificates and reports as reliable proof that you comply with European laws and regulations. We can help you make your company's quality values visible to the world and support you in making a positive difference in your (international) market.
Kiwa's services extend beyond simply issuing certificates. At your request, Kiwa - in co-operation with independent experts - can also carry out inspections and research in the fields of risk management, environmental legislation, the working environment and product/service safety. Our combined knowledge of laws and regulations and of technology will ensure you of an impartial and thoroughly grounded evaluation that will exceed both your expectations and the required norm. You can be sure that with Kiwa's input, your organisation will be equipped for the future.
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You have decided that you want your product, process, service, (management) system or personnel to be certified according to a certain certification scheme. Kiwa helps you from start - aligning your company - to finish - handing you your certificate. Here are a the steps to take.
ISO stands for International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). It is an international partnership of national standardisation organisations in 163 countries. The ISO (founded in 1947) is responsible for the development and maintenance of a large number of globally accepted (quality) standards. The name ISO is of course an abbreviation, but it also refers to the Greek 'isos' (equal).
ISO certification means that an organisation meets the requirements set by the ISO for the quality of a product or service or the way in which an organisation operates. Well-known ISO standards are the quality standard ISO 9001, the ISO 14001 for environmental management, the occupational health and safety standard ISO 45001 and the ISO 27001 for information security. Independent external certification bodies such as Kiwa assess on the basis of Audits whether an organisation meets the requirements set in a certain ISO standard. If this is the case, an official ISO certificate is awarded.
The use of ISO standards helps organisations to create products and services that are safe, reliable and of good quality. ISO certification also helps companies increase productivity while reducing errors and waste. Certification against ISO standards also ensures transparency. By allowing products from different markets to be compared directly with each other, they facilitate entry into new markets and help develop fair global trade. Certification against an ISO standard also has a positive effect on an organisation's image: it ensures that consumers and end users trust products and services.
Starting a process for ISO certification starts with a quotation request without obligation. If you choose Kiwa, you can start by preparing your organisation to work according to a certain guideline. Kiwa can help you with this, for example with a trial audit or a baseline measurement. In this way you will know where you stand and what points of attention there are. As soon as your organisation is ready, the initial audit will follow which, if successful, will result in the ISO certificate. After that, we regularly check whether your products, processes or system continue to meet the requirements and whether you can retain the certificate. Want to know more about ISO certification by Kiwa? Contact us or take a look at our overview page with the most popular ISO certifications.
Certification refers to the confirmation of certain characteristics of an object (a product), process, person or organisation. In most cases, this confirmation is provided by some form of external review, assessment, or audit. So, an accredited or authorised person or agency assesses and verifies (and attests in writing by issuing a certificate) the attributes, characteristics, quality, qualification, or status of something or someone. The assessment and verification are in accordance with established requirements or standards.
A certificate creates trust. Trust in your products, services, (management) processes and employees. Your certificate enables you to demonstrate that your organisation works efficiently and safely, that you manage the work and work processes and that you strive to be sustainable. It allows you to reduce risks, improve the quality of your organisation and have more satisfied clients. An independent third party like Kiwa ensures it stays that way.
Apart from creating trust, here are additional reasons for certification.
Kiwa is a global authority in a wide variety of markets, from construction and energy to water and healthcare. Our experts know their way around the minefield of European and global regulations, quality norms and safety criteria. This knowledge enables them to open doors for you that would have otherwise remained closed. We may make the difference in your efforts to access markets. And we can certify quite a lot, as you will see below.
First-party certification means that the individual or organisation providing a product or service offers assurance that it meets certain claims. CE marking is an example of first-party certification. A CE mark is often needed to bring a product to the European market. By marking a product, a producer assures it has been tested and meets basic criteria regarding safety, health and the environment.
In second-party certification, an association to which the individual or organisation belongs provides the assurance. An association can, for example, create a quality mark for a certain market segment. Individuals or organisations can obtain it by meeting the requirements set. Thus, such a mark may improve quality level.
Kiwa provides third-party certification. This kind of certification involves a fully independent assessment declaring that specified requirements pertaining to a product, person, process or management system have been met. The requirements have been independently drawn up by Boards of Experts representing a certain market segment or an association. The advantage of third-party certification is that you nor your association, but an independent third party assures you and your customers that objective requirements have been met.
On top of certification, there is accreditation. Organisations like Kiwa that certify third parties are themselves formally accredited. Accreditation is provided by a so-called accreditation body, which is put in place by the government of a certain country. The accreditation process ensures that certification practices are acceptable, which means a certifier is competent to test and certify third parties, behaves ethically and employs suitable quality assurance. Kiwa has been accredited by various accreditation bodies for a wide variety of certification processes in many countries.
Kiwa is also a Notified Body, or NoBo. In the European Union, a NoBo is a third-party entity that has been accredited by a Member State to assess whether a product to be placed on the market meets certain standards. Conformity assessment can include inspection and examination of a product, its design, and the manufacturing environment and processes associated with it.
Kiwa, DVGW CERT, and figawa are launching the Fit4DW materials database at ISH 2025. This platform simplifies the certification of drinking water materials, ensuring compliance with EU regulations. By centralizing verified data, it reduces certification time by up to nine months, saving costs while ensuring safe, high-quality water.
Kiwa has retained its 5-star BRCGS rating across multiple countries, reaffirming its commitment to food safety and quality assurance. This recognition highlights Kiwa’s excellence in compliance, auditing, and supply chain integrity. Discover how Kiwa continues to support global food safety with trusted certification and verification services.
Kiwa Creiven joins Heat Pump KEYMARK as its 30th testing lab, strengthening quality assurance and reliability in heat pump certification.
Kiwa is expanding its global presence, following an agreement with Element Materials Technology (“Element”), through the addition of NQA (USA, UK and India), the management systems certification division of BM Trada (UK), Unitek (USA), the technical services division of Trialon (USA), and the remaining 50% stake in SNQA, a joint venture partner (China). These businesses bring Kiwa additional expertise across a wide variety of markets and throughout the global Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) sector.
If you have specific questions about certification or if you haven't found what you where looking for, please do not hesitate to contact us.
