Running from 7th to 11th November 2022, World Quality Week offers the chance to celebrate and highlight the vital role that quality plays in all aspects of people's daily lives.
The theme for the event is ‘Quality Conscience’; something which either gaining accreditation or using accredited services both indicates and helps to develop.
Accreditation
Working in tandem with standards and measurement, UKAS accreditation is one of the pillars that the UK’s national quality infrastructure is built upon. Accreditation involves the independent and robust assessment, against internationally recognized standards, of the competence and impartiality of conformity assessment bodies (those that provide services such as certification, inspection, testing, and calibration).
Based on an ethos of quality, integrity, and continual improvement, accreditation delivers trust and confidence in the goods and services that we all rely upon every day.
benefits of a quality-centric approach
A growing number of organizations are choosing accreditation as part of their quality regime
Many organizations are already well aware of the wide-ranging benefits of implementing a quality-centric approach into their processes and systems; from increased efficiency and reliability to improved customer relations and reputation.
A growing number of organizations are choosing accreditation as part of their quality regime because it assures the validity and efficiency of processes, creates confidence around innovation, demonstrates technical competence, and proves impartiality.
Together these can help organisations gain recognition and a competitive advantage, as well as lower barriers to trade by increasing the acceptance of goods and services in international markets.
quality conscience
Having a quality conscience requires organizations to act with integrity and to consider the needs of staff, partners, suppliers, and customers, as well as the interests of wider society and the planet.
There is increasing pressure from regulators, customers, and wider society for organizations to act in the interests of the greater good, to 'do the right thing'.
best practices
Accreditation is often viewed as a badge of honor amongst conformity assessment professionals
Accreditation shows that an organization is concerned about utilizing best practices and improving the quality of its goods and services.
Beyond the internal benefits, either becoming accredited or using accredited services can be both a demonstration and a building block for developing an all-encompassing quality conscience.
For example, accreditation is often viewed as a badge of honor amongst conformity assessment professionals, and achieving accreditation can help raise staff skill levels and morale.
environmental standards
In addition, accredited certification helps increase the security of supply chains, benefitting customers, suppliers, and the economy as a whole.
Furthermore, by providing confidence that the requirements of environmental standards are delivered in practice, accreditation helps control the impact on the planet and contributes towards nations reaching sustainable development goals and net-zero targets.
Numerous environment-focused schemes can be accredited; from environmental management and emissions monitoring to compost certification and renewable energy generation.
