Introduction by the board
Major social and environmental challenges such as poverty, inequality and climate change play a role in society. Together, we are working on sustainability goals.
In 2015, all 193 members of the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They were devised to build a greener, fairer and better world. Everyone has a role in achieving them. In line with the Paris Climate Agreements, among others, the European Union formulated sustainability goals that are reflected in various legislative frameworks.
In addition to the CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) obligation, we see that the business community is looking for ways to demonstrate to the world the extent of sustainability of their products, services and business conduct. By having products tested, inspected, certified or calibrated under accreditation, companies can demonstrate their progress in achieving sustainability goals.
As a national accreditation body, the RvA believes that it has a role in obtaining meaningful results in the field of sustainability and thus contributing to all efforts for a more sustainable world.
In 2023 and 2024, we examined the role that the RvA can play in terms of sustainability in its own business operations and in accreditation assessments. We have four focal points:
Within the quality infrastructure (NVCi, Fenelab, the medical laboratories, VvS, NEN, VSL and the Ministry of Economic Affairs), sustainability is on the agenda of the regular consultations. The aim here is to exchange insights and information about developments from which we can take joint actions.
Within the European and international umbrella organisations EA, IAF and ILAC, we participate in events and workshops about sustainability. For example, at the Sustainability working group within IAF. Participation in this working group is aimed at sharing insights and putting the importance of sustainability on the agenda in the accreditation assessments. In this working group, the RvA gauges the interest in formulating requirements for sustainability in the accreditation standards.
As an independent implementation partner of the market and the government, the RvA increases awareness of the role of sustainability in assessments by means of external communication.
At rva.nl/en/sustainability, we explain the value of accreditation in relation to sustainability. We describe how accreditation contributes to increasing the reliability of the sustainability statements made by a company or institution.
For customers, we assess the activities under accreditation that contribute to the SDGs. At rva.nl/en/sustainability, we show which activities and SDGs these are. This makes for an impressive list.
To shine greater light on the link between accreditation assessments and the SDGs among clients and stakeholders, we have periodically set up an online communication campaign. For instance, we share current news about sustainability developments via LinkedIn if that is relevant to our customers. This includes topics such as laws and regulations that affect accreditation and news reports from the media about CSRD and sustainability claims.
