The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), coordinator of the U.S. standards and conformity assessment system, is pleased to announce the accreditation of the Standards Institution of Israel - Quality & Certification Division (SII-QCD) under ANSI’sAccreditation Program for Product Certification Bodies. Independent third-party accreditation by ANSI demonstrates that SII-QCD’s product certification program meets the stringent quality requirements contained in the international standard ISO/IEC 17065,Conformity assessment — Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services.

SII-QCD’s product and system certification programs include three marking schemes: Standards Mark, Safety Mark, and Green Label. Accreditation by ANSI for product certification complements the organization’s existing accreditations as a greenhouse gas verification body via ANSI and as a management systems certification body via the ANSI affiliate ANAB.

ISO/IEC 17065 is the international benchmark for product certification, and forms the basis of ANSI’s accreditation program for product certification bodies. ANSI accreditation provides value and confidence to the marketplace by demonstrating that program requirements are fulfilled and outputs are assured. SII-QCD’s accreditation will be continually verified through rigorous annual assessments of its systems and processes.

Lane Hallenbeck, ANSI vice president of accreditation services, bestowed the accreditation certificate at SII’s annual quality gala, stating, “On behalf of ANSI, I am proud to present this recognized attestation of SII’s successful completion of the initial accreditation process for product certification. It is a further testament to SII’s commitment to quality and continuous improvement via proven compliance with international standards.”

“We are extremely excited and proud to receive the ANSI Accreditation certificate,” said Eli Cohen-Kagan, SII-QCD director. “This is the first time we are dealing with an accreditation based on ISO/IEC 17065, which involves our entire Institution and all its branches, and grants us legitimate international recognition for product certification. We deeply appreciate and will be glad to continue to enhance our cooperation with ANSI and its professional team – and with Lane Hallenbeck, in particular, in full cooperation with CASCO [ISO’s Committee on Conformity Assessment, for which Mr. Hallenbeck serves as chair].”

SII is Israel's official body for the preparation and publication of standards and the nation’s prime promoter of quality assurance. A non-governmental organization, SII works to deliver standardization, testing, certification, and training activities in nearly all technological areas in service of industry, commerce, and government. SII represents Israel's interests in international standardization forums including the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and maintains close relationships and agreements with testing and certification bodies such as IQNet and IECEE.

The U.S. member body to ISO and IEC (via the U.S. National Committee), ANSI is also a member of theInternational Accreditation Forum (IAF) and a signatory to its multilateral recognition arrangement(IAF MLA), which fosters the recognition of accreditations and certifications across borders to reduce technical barriers to trade.