CHALLENGES OF STANDARDS AND CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT

An article: CHALLENGES OF STANDARDS AND CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT

Mr. Anil Jauhri, Chairperson, Certification Advisory Group of NCCF ( ex-CEO, NABCB), in his article ” CHALLENGES OF STANDARDS AND CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT” published in the ANDHRA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, e-bulletin; July-August 2021 editions; has eminently addressed the real barriers in international trade as majority of them are non-tariff and associated with quality standards and conformity assessment and therefore is essential to understand their impact in the market for all stakeholders esp. the industry.

The WTO regime has led to the creation of two distinct segments: one, comprising sectors amenable to Technical Regulations/SPS measures, and another comprising sectors driven by Standards. Any business, including MSMEs and startups, therefore need to not only be aware of the regulations and standards which apply to the sector in which they operate but also assimilate these in the product or service at the design stage itself so that their product or service meets the regulatory requirements, which are mandatory, to survive and standards prevalent in the market and demanded by buyers to succeed.

Industries should also gear up to face challenges beyond compliance with Technical Regulations/SPS Measures and Standards. It is no longer enough to merely comply with these but the manner of demonstrating compliance to these is also equally important. The paper explains the Role of Accreditations with Emerging Global Scenarios in the Conformity Assessment space and why it is important for any business, including MSMEs and startups to meet the legitimate requirements of quality and safety that consumers, businesses, regulators, and other stakeholders demand in the case of goods and services. 

While Pharma, Automotive, and Seafood sectors are successful examples where India has achieved global standards and accessed global markets. Industry in most other sectors struggles to comply with the regulations and lacks in International Conformity Assessments. Some examples of such standards are Global G.A.P for Agri produce, Forest management (FSC/PEFC) for the legality of wood, and sustainable forest management other Social Standards like SA 8000. These standards pose a challenge in terms of both capacity of Indian industry, especially MSMEs and startups to implement as also the cost of compliance in the form of certification to these standards to meet the legitimate requirements of quality and safety that consumers, businesses, regulators, and other stakeholders demand in the case of goods and services. 

The full article may be accessed here (Part 1); (Part 2)

Courtesy: ANDHRA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

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