To have an efficient economy, products and services in the local market must conform to standards, from roads to medical services through consumer goods.
To have a dynamic export sector, e.g. food, the products and manufacturing processes have to comply with international standards or mandatory technical regulations in the importing country, e.g.
- Compliance with food safety requirements (HACCP, ISO 22000, EU Reg 882/2004),
- Compliance with traceability (e.g. EU Reg 178/2002),
- Free from pests and pesticide residues (Codex).
For those trading internationally, recognition of accredited conformity assessment results comes through mutual recognition arrangements established between the accreditation body members of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). These ensure that the accreditation of conformity assessment bodies to international standards around the world is carried out consistently, and so conformity assessment results covered by accreditation under the IAF and ILAC umbrella can be accepted everywhere with equal confidence.

BENEFITS OF ACCREDITATION FOR TRADE
- Accreditation enhances confidence in certificates and conformity statements.
- Accreditation enhances quality of results by ensuring their: traceability, comparability, validity and commutability.
- Accreditation may be required for whole organizations (not just quality management systems, not just products) - anywhere where peer assessment of competence is required.