Accreditation & Assessment

Use of Logos and Marks

Accreditation and certification provide trust in the market place and this is often transmitted through use of logos and marks or statements which may be on products, advertising, web sites and certificates.

Inappropriate or deliberate misuse of such logos and language can undermine this so we are providing here a central location of resources to inform producers, traders and consumers on their proper use.

We invite anyone with any concerns on use of logos within the scope of activity of the IOAS to contact us with any concerns.

Marks are used at different levels; business to business and business to consumer.

IOAS Accreditation Symbol

The IOAS accreditation symbol (see right) is a business to business mark that denotes that a certification body is accredited by IOAS and indicates their unique contract number. It may be used on certificates within the scope of their accreditation and on web sites and other promotional material. Rules for its use are set out in the IOAS Use of Logo and name policy.

IAF-MLA Mark

IOAS is a IAF MLA signatory. Accreditations granted by IAF MLA signatories are recognised worldwide based on their equivalent accreditation programs.

Businesses will be able to see at a glance that a certification body using the IAF MLA Mark has been accredited by an accreditation body that is a signatory to the IAF MLA.

The IAF-MLA Mark must be used in combination with the IOAS accreditation symbol. For ISO/IEC 17065 accredited certification bodies the Mark may be used on web sites, advertisements and letterheads etc.  The Mark cannot be used on certificates unless it is for a recognised MLA sub-scope. The only MLA sub-scope IOAS is currently  able to offer is GlobalG.A.P.

To use the IAF MLA Mark , IOAS  ISO/IEC 17065 accredited Certification Bodies will first need to sign an agreement for use of the IAF MLA Mark. For more details on the use of the IAF MLA Mark please read General principles on the Use of the IAF MLA Mark.

Scheme owner symbols

Each scheme owner that IOAS works with, whether government or private, has its own logo to denote that products have been certified to their rules. These work as both business to business (on certificates for example) and business to consumer logos which appear on products.

The following table indicates the scheme, the logo, main use and a link to the scheme owner and their published rules on permitted use.

 

Canada Organic

Regulatory organic scheme covering domestic and imports
Product and promotional material

COSMOS Organic and Natural Cosmetics

Private international scheme for organic and natural cosmetics
Product and promotional material – only used in combination with CB logo

European Organic

Regulatory organic scheme covering domestic and imports
Product and promotional material

GOTS

Private international scheme covering organic textile processing
Product and promotional material

IFOAM

Private international scheme covering organic products
Product and promotional material – only under contract with CB and only used in combination with CB logo

NATRUE

Private international scheme covering organic and natural cosmetics
Product and promotional material

Textile Exchange

Private international scheme on chain of custody of organic products
Product and promotional material

Textile Exchange

Private international scheme on chain of custody of recycled products
Product and promotional material

Textile Exchange

Private international scheme on chain which includes a higher (50%) minimum recycled content percentage and additional social and environmental requirements related to processing and chemical use.
Product and promotional material

Textile Exchange

Private international scheme on chain of custody of responsible wool products
Product and promotional material

Textile Exchange

The Responsible Mohair Standard addresses animal welfare and environmental responsibility in mohair supply chains.
Products

Textle Exchange

The Responsible Alpaca Standard safeguards the welfare of alpacas and the ecosystems around them.
Products

Textile Exchange

Private international scheme on chain of custody of responsible down products
Product and promotional material

Textile Exchange

CCS is a chain of custody standard that gives companies a means of verifying that one or more raw material inputs are in the final product.
Products

GlobalG.A.P.

GlobalG.A.P. is voluntary accreditation programme for food safety, sustainable production methods, worker and animal welfare, and responsible use of water, compound feed and plant propagation materials.
Products

Organic Agriculture

IFOAM, Canada, EU

Textiles

GOTS, Textile Exchange

Organic & Natural Cosmetics

COSMOS, NATRUE

ISO/IEC 17065 Accreditation

GlobalG.A.P.

ISO/IEC 17065 Accreditation

Accredited Bodies

Certification Body Database

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