Q. What's the difference between
certification and accreditation?
Although the words certification and accreditation tend to be interchangeable in the English language, they have distinct meanings in the industry.
Accreditation means the certification of certification bodies. For example, we are accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) in order to prove our credentials as a Certification Body. UKAS are the sole recognised body by Government for accrediting certification bodies in the UK. To learn more about the importance of using a UKAS accredited certification, please take a look at our 'What is UKAS?' page.
Because of this definition in terms, technically speaking, an
organisation which is successfully assessed to a standard like
ISO 9001 by an external certification body would be referred to
as having
ISO 9001 certification rather than
ISO 9001
accreditation.
No Certification Body may assess another (for
impartiality purposes); certification bodies like ourselves are
accredited to the ISO 17021 standard rather than
more common standards such as ISO 9001. If a Certification Body
is not accredited, it has not been assessed against any standard
and isn't regulated, clearly highlighting the benefits of
accredited certification.
Further Reading
Article: Introduction to accreditation and certification