ANSI Announces Accreditations under Pilot Programs for Eco-Labeling, Environmental Declarations

NEW YORK, March 16, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), coordinator of the U.S. voluntary standardization system, is pleased to announce the first six accreditations under two pilot programs that ANSI launched in 2014 to address eco-labeling and environmental declarations.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has developed standards that define different types of environmental labels: Type I, Type II, and Type III. One ANSI pilot program has focused on Type I environmental labeling scheme owners and the competence of eco-labeling certification bodies. The other ANSI pilot program has focused on program operators for Type III environmental labels and declarations, and the competence of certification bodies that verify/validate Environmental Product Declarations (EPD).

"Eco-labeling initiatives have grown steadily in recent years, as consumers and manufacturers alike look to protect the environment. However, 'greenwashing' and false declarations have been a real concern as the demand for sustainability grows," said Reinaldo Figueiredo, ANSI senior program director for product and process accreditation. "ANSI sponsored an independently conducted market analysis to examine the use of the ISO environmental labels, specifically Types I and III. That study confirmed a growing demand for an ANSI-led accreditation effort that would add value, rigor, and accountability to the process."  

In March 2015, the ANSI Accreditation Committee [voted] approved by ballot that the following organizations satisfied the eligibility requirements for the pilot programs as follows:

Type I – Environmental labeling program (Eligibility)

Water Quality Association (WQA):
Evaluated by ANSI as an eligible Eco-Labeling Scheme Owner that develops Type I environmental labeling programs in accordance with the following standards:

• ISO 14020:2000, Environmental labels and declarations – General Principles
• ISO 14024:1999, Environmental labels and declarations – Type I environmental declarations – Principles and procedures
• PRO-PR-164–ISO 14024, Requirements/Process to Determine Eligibility of a Type I Environmental Labeling Certification Scheme 

Type I Environmental declaration (Accreditation)

WQA also accredited by ANSI as a Type I Eco-labeling Certification Body in accordance with the following standards:

• ISO/IEC 17065:2012, Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services
• ISO 14024:1999, Environmental labels and declarations – Type I environmental labeling- Principles and procedures
• ISO14020:2000, Environmental labels and declarations – General principles (Principles requirements)
• PRO-PL-102, Manual of Operations for Accreditation of Product Certification Programs

Type III Environmental declaration program (Eligibility)

ASTM International, ICC Evaluation Service, LLC, NSF International, and SCS Global Services:

Evaluated by ANSI as eligible Type III Program Operators in accordance with the following standards:

• ISO 14020:2000, Environmental labels and declarations – General Principles
• ISO 14025:2006, Environmental labels and declarations – Type III environmental declarations Principles and procedures
• ISO 21930:2007, Sustainability in building construction - Environmental declaration of building products
• PRO-PR-165-ISO 14025 - Requirements/Process to determine Eligibility of a Type III Environmental Declaration Program

Type III environmental declaration (Accreditation)

ICC Evaluation Service, LLC, NSF International, SCS Global Services, and The Epsten Group Inc:

Accredited by ANSI as Type III Conformity Assessment Bodies that Validate/Verify Environmental Product Declarations in accordance with the following standards:

• ISO/IEC 17065:2012, Conformity assessment -- Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services
• ISO 14025:2006, Environmental labels and declarations – Type III environmental declarations – Principles and procedures (Process requirements)
• ISO14020:2000, Environmental labels and declarations -- General principles (Principles requirements)

"Accreditation by ANSI creates a valuable attribute for certification bodies, program operators, and for certification bodies that validate/verify in the environmental labels/eco-labeling arena, and offers them a significant distinction from their competitors in the marketplace," said Mr. Figueiredo. "ANSI is pleased to accredit these six bodies under these pilot programs, and looks forward to the accreditation of many more entities working in these critically important areas."

About ANSI
ANSI's accreditation program successfully meets the requirements of ISO/IEC 17011, Conformity assessment - General requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies, which represent the highest internationally accepted practices for accreditation bodies. The Institute's portfolio of accreditation services includes programs for all types of certification and verification bodies, including those for products/products/services, personnel, and greenhouse gas emissions as well as standards developers.

ANSI is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is made up of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide.

The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

SOURCE American National Standards Institute