Publicizing your ISO 9000 or ISO 14000 certification9000 certification” or “ISO 9000...

Publicizing your ISO 9000 orISO 14000 certification

Businesses and other organizations whichhave invested time, energy and money toobtain an ISO 9000 or ISO 14000 certificateunderstandably wish to publicize theirachievement.

This leaflet aims to help ISO 9000 andISO 14000 certificate holders avoid thepitfalls of false, misleading or confusingclaims in advertisements, promotionalmaterial, including videos, and other meansof letting the market know that they operatea quality management system which hasbeen independently assessed and certifiedas conforming to ISO 9001, ISO 9002 orISO 9003, or an environmental managementsystem assessed and certified to ISO 14001.

ISO Central Secretariat

Case postale 56CH-1211 Genève 20Telephone + 41 22 749 01 11Telefax + 41 22 733 34 30E-mail [email protected] http://www.iso.ch/

ISBN 92-67-10278-8© ISO, 1998Printed in Switzerland

1998-05/8 000

ISO (International Organization forStandardization) and its members regularlyreceive enquiries from companies seekingpermission to use the ISO logo in materialpromoting ISO 9000 certification. Similarrequests relating to ISO 14000 are likely togrow since the publication in September1996 of the first standards in that family.Regretfully, the answer in both cases hasto be “No”. We’ll explain why below.

In addition, print media advertisementsare brought to our attention in whichthe enthusiasm of companies proud toannounce their ISO 9000 certification (alsoreferred to in some countries as “ISO 9000registration”) has led them astray. So thatothers do not make the same mistakes,we’ll point out where the traps lie.

On a positive note, we are very happy topublish in this leaflet some examplesof advertisements from around the worldin which companies have publicizedtheir ISO 9000 certification in an accuratemanner. As the variety of styles of thesegood examples illustrates, being accuratedoes not mean limiting the imagination.We thank the companies concerned forgiving us permission to reproducetheir advertisements as examples of goodpromotional practice.

A description of the pitfalls they haveavoided follows, along with a couple ofillustrations of what not to do. Whenpublicizing ISO 9000 or ISO 14000certification (registration) in any form,ISO asks companies and organizations totake these points into account. Firstly,however, a clarification of ISO 9000-relatedterminology, as commonly used in thebusiness world, is in order. The followingremarks are also applicable to ISO 14000.

Clarifying terms

The assessment of a quality systemagainst the requirements of one of theISO 9000 standards and the subsequentissuing of a certificate to confirm thatit is in conformance with the standard’srequirements is variously referred to indifferent countries as “certification” or“registration”. In fact, these two termsare employed in a broader conformityassessment context than that of ISO 9000alone and their standardized definitionsshow that they are not synonyms.However, in the ISO 9000 context,“certification” and “registration” are usedinterchangeably in some countries –a practice which reflects different national,or business-culture preferences.Likewise, the bodies which issue ISO 9000certificates – “certification bodies” – arereferred to in some countries as “registrationbodies”, or “registrars”. Again, thesedifferent appellations refer to the sametype of body.

In this document, to avoid the repetitionof unwieldy terms like “certification/registra-tion” or “certification (registration)”, theterms “certification” and “certification body”will be primarily used.

“Accreditation” is another term which, inthe ISO 9000 context, is also sometimes used– wrongly – as a synonym for “certification”or “registration”. “Accreditation” is theprocedure by which an authoritative bodygives formal recognition that a body orperson is competent to carry out specifictasks. In the ISO 9000 context, it relates tothe work of national accreditation bodieswhich have been set up in a numberof countries to provide some measure ofcontrol over the activities of quality systemcertification bodies. An accreditation bodywill accredit – or, in simpler language,approve – a certification body as competentto carry out ISO 9000 certification ofquality management systems. Certificationbodies can increasingly be expected toseek accreditation for ISO 14000 certificationof environmental management systems.

Readers interested in the standardizeddefinitions of the above terms shouldconsult the document, ISO/IEC Guide 2,

Quick reminders

– ISO does not assess or audit quality systemsto confirm that they conform to an ISO 9000

standard and ISO does not assess or audit

environmental management systems to con-

firm that they conform to ISO 14001.

– ISO does not issue either ISO 9000 orISO 14000 certificates.

– ISO does not carry out approval of ISO 9000or ISO 14000 certificates, which are issued by

certification (registration) bodies independ-

ently of ISO.

– “ISO certification” or “ISO registration” doesnot exist, whether to ISO 9000, ISO 14000 or

any other of the standards ISO has devel-

oped. What is, in most cases, meant is “ISO

9000 certification” or “ISO 9000 registration”

(and increasingly in the future, “ISO 14000

certification” or “ISO 14000 registration”) –

which is performed independently of ISO.

– The ISO logo is a registered trademark andISO does not authorize its use in connection

with ISO 9000 or ISO 14000 certification (reg-

istration).

– ISO 9000 is not a product quality label and noproduct label, advertisement or other promo-

tional material should give the impression that

a product (including hardware, software, pro-

cessed materials and services) is “ISO 9000-

certified” or “ISO 9000-registered”.

– ISO 14001 is not a label signifying a “green”or “environmentally friendly” product. No

product label, advertisement or other pro-

motional material should give the impression

that a product is “ISO 14001-certified” or

“ISO 14001-registered”.

– Advertisements which imply a quality rankingbetween ISO 9001, ISO 9002 and ISO 9003

are misleading.

PUBLICIZING YOUR ISO 9000 or ISO 14000 CERTIFICATION 1

General terms and their definitionsconcerning standardization and relatedactivities.

A final point on terminology concerns“ISO 9000 certification” and “ISO 14000certification”.

In actual fact, “ISO 9000 certification”means certification against ISO 9001,ISO 9002 or ISO 9003. When speakinggenerally, the generic term “ISO 9000certification” is much more convenientthan clumsy, and possibly confusing, alter-natives such as “ISO 9001/2/3” or“ISO 900x” certification – which is why ithas entered into common usage, and isemployed in this text. However, readersshould be aware that an actual “ISO 9000certificate” will specify against whichstandard the quality system in questionhas been assessed and found to be inconformance. In the interests of transpar-ency, promotional material publicizing thecertification should also be specific.

In the case of the ISO 14000 family,there is only one standard of which theintended uses include that of a model forenvironmental management system certi-fication – ISO 14001. An organization whichseeks certification of an environmentalmanagement system which it operates asconforming to the standard will thereforebe issued with an ISO 14001 certificate.Nevertheless, in this text, the term “ISO14000 certification” is employed for thesake of consistency.

In both cases, the use of the generic termmay have the merit of serving as a reminderthat ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 are families ofInternational Standards whose scopes – andusefulness for the organizations whichimplement them – cover far more than justthe requirements for achieving certification.

ISO – the organization

To understand why ISO does not allow itslogo to be used in connection with ISO 9000certification (and will not in relation toISO 14000 certification either), the followingbackground information will help.

The standards which make up the ISO 9000and ISO 14000 families are among morethan 11 400 voluntary InternationalStandards developed and published by ISO.These standards cover almost the entirerange of technology and are based oninternational consensus among experts fromthe sector which has expressed the needfor a particular standard.

ISO’s primary role is developing Interna-tional Standards. However, it also developsGuides, when appropriate, that help toensure good practice in standards-relatedactivities, and other documents that promotethe development of standardization, orfacilitate the implementation of standards.

ISO itself does not carry out assessmentsto check that its standards are beingimplemented by users in conformity withthe requirements of the standards.Conformity assessment – as this processis known – is a matter for suppliers andtheir clients in the private sector, and ofregulatory bodies when ISO standards havebeen incorporated into public legislation.

In addition, there exist many testinglaboratories and certification bodies whichoffer independent (also known as “thirdparty”) conformity assessment servicesto provide confirmation that products(including hardware, software andprocessed materials), services or systemsmeasure up to ISO standards. Suchorganizations may perform these servicesunder a mandate to a regulatory authority,or as a commercial activity the aim of whichis to create confidence between suppliersand their clients. In some countries, ISOmembers carry out conformity assessment,either on behalf of their respectivegovernments, or as a business operation.ISO itself has no authority to control theseactivities.

2 PUBLICIZING YOUR ISO 9000 or ISO 14000 CERTIFICATION

However, in partnership with the IEC(International Electrotechnical Commission),ISO has developed ISO/IEC Guides coveringvarious aspects of conformity assessmentactivities and the organizations that performthem. The voluntary criteria contained inthese Guides represent an internationalconsensus on what constitutes acceptablepractice. Their use contributes to theconsistency and coherence of conformityassessment worldwide and so facilitatestrade across borders.

ISO 9000

The ISO 9000 family of standards representsan international consensus on goodmanagement practices with the aim ofensuring that the organization can timeand time again deliver the product orservices that meet the client’s qualityrequirements. The standards give organiza-tions guidelines on what constitutes aneffective quality management system, andmodels against which this system can beaudited to give the organization and itsclients assurance that it is operatingeffectively.

ISO 9004-1 (and the other parts of ISO 9004)gives guidelines on the elements of qualitymanagement and a quality system. TheISO 9000 family also includes three qualityassurance models – ISO 9001, ISO 9002 andISO 9003 – against which the quality systemcan be audited. The organization shouldcarry out this auditing itself to verify that itis managing its processes effectively.In addition, it may invite its clients to auditthe quality system in order to give themconfidence that the organization is capableof delivering products or services that willmeet their needs.

Lastly, the organization may engage theservices of an independent quality systemcertification body to obtain an ISO 9000certificate of conformity. This last optionhas proved extremely popular in themarket-place because of the perceivedcredibility of an independent assessment.It may thus avoid multiple audits by theorganization’s clients, or reduce thefrequency or duration of client audits.The certificate can also serve as a businessreference between the organization andpotential clients, especially when supplierand client are new to each other, or farremoved geographically, as in an exportcontext.


ISO 14000

The ISO 14000 family, of which the firststandards were published in September andOctober 1996, addresses various aspects ofenvironmental management. The very firsttwo standards, ISO 14004 and ISO 14001,deal with environmental managementsystems. These are management tools toenable an organization of any size or typeto control the impact of its activities,products or services on the environment.An environmental management systemrepresents a structured approach to settingenvironmental objectives and targets, toachieving these and demonstrating thatthey have been achieved.

The standards do not specify levels ofenvironmental performance – a fact whichallows them to be implemented by a widevariety of organizations, whatever theircurrent level of environmental maturity.However, a commitment to compliancewith applicable environmental legislationand regulations is required, along withcommitment to continual improvement –for which the environmental managementsystem provides the framework.

ISO 14004 provides guidelines on theelements of an environmental managementsystem and its implementation, anddiscusses principal issues involved.

ISO 14001 specifies the requirements forsuch an environmental management system.Fulfilling these requirements demandsobjective evidence which can be auditedto demonstrate that the environmentalmanagement system is operating effectivelyin conformance with the standard.ISO 14001 can thus be used for internalpurposes – to provide assurance to theorganization’s management – and forexternal purposes – to provide assuranceto interested parties. In the external context,conformance to ISO 14001 can be used tosupport what an organization claims aboutits own environmental policies and actions.It is suitable for both supplier’s declarationsof conformity, assessment of conformity byan external stakeholder – such as a businessclient – and for certification of conformityby an independent certification body.


ISO’s logo

ISO will not authorize the use of its logoin connection with material publicizingan ISO 9000 or ISO 14000 certification –some examples of such uses are incompany letterheads, marketing leaflets,advertisements, and so on. The ISO logois a registered trademark. ISO does notauthorize its logo to be used, either byquality system certification bodies, or bythe companies to which the latter issueISO 9000 certificates. The same applies toISO 14000 certifications, as these becomemore widespread. Allowing the ISO logo tobe used would give the false impressionthat ISO carries out certification activities, orhas approved or authorized the organizationusing its logo. These activities are notbusiness functions of ISO.

ISO is not an auditor, assessor, registrar,or certifier of either quality systems orenvironmental management systems – or,for that matter, of materials, products andservices – nor does it endorse any suchactivities performed by other parties.ISO develops International Standards but, atpresent, operates no scheme for assessingconformance with them.

Allowing the use of our logo in advertise-ments or other publicity material would givethe impression that ISO has “approved”such a certification – or even carried it out.For the reasons given above, such animpression would be totally misleading.

No such thing!

A point which logically follows on from theabove remarks is that it is false to describe acompany as “ISO-certified”, “ISO-registered”,or to use phrases such as “ISO certification”,“ISO certificates” and “ISO registration”.

As noted above, ISO operates no system forassessing the conformance of organizations’management systems with standards in theISO 9000 family, or the ISO 14000 family.

The following guidelines areintended to assist organizationswhen they come to publicizingtheir ISO 9000 or ISO 14000certificate.


ISO itself carries out neither ISO 9000 norISO 14000 audits and awards no certificatesattesting to conformity with the standards.There is no such thing as “ISO certification”,or “ISO registration”, whether in relation toISO 9000, ISO 14000 or any other ISOstandard.

A simple exercise to demonstrate why theterm “ISO certification”, which often cropsup in relation to ISO 9000, is a misleadingabbreviation for “ISO 9000 certification”is to substitute another name for “ISO”.For example, the phrase “US certification”could give the impression that it is theUS Government, or some other officialinstitution, which is carrying out thecertification. This impression would bewrong. ISO 9000 certification services arebeing carried out in the United States byindependent quality system certificationbodies, not by the US Government.And not by ISO either, whether in theUnited States or elsewhere, which is why“ISO certification” is an unacceptableabbreviation for “ISO 9000 certification”.Likewise, using “ISO certification” as anabbreviation for “ISO 14000 certification”would only confuse matters further.

Both ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 auditing andcertification are carried out independentlyby certification bodies under their ownresponsibility.

Readers will see that some of the companiesamong our good examples take care toidentify which certification body has issuedthem a certificate and, with the permissionof that body, include the latter’s logo in theadvertisement. This practice has the meritof transparency. The market is beinginformed about which certification bodyis giving its word that such-and-such acompany has met the requirements laiddown in the ISO 9000 standard concerned,and the market decides what credibility thatcertification body’s certificate bestows.

In addition, national accreditation bodieshave been set up in a number of countries(sometimes, but not always, with agovernment mandate) to exercise a degreeof control over the activities of certification

bodies. When one of the latter candemonstrate that it fulfills the criteria ofthe accreditation system, it is dulyaccredited – which can increase marketconfidence in the value of an ISO 9000certificate issued by that certification bodyto a company. The certificate may carry thelogo of the accreditation body, in additionto that of the certification body, andthe company may have the right to useboth logos in its promotional materialpublicizing its ISO 9000 certification.

When a company implies in promotionalmaterial that it is ISO which has awardedthe company an ISO 9000 certificate, thiswill in the long run harm the credibility ofthat company as more people becomeaware that there is no such thing as “ISOcertification” or “ISO registration”. Similarremarks apply to ISO 14000 as accreditationand certification in respect of environmentalmanagement systems become common.

An example of what to avoid: this logo isunacceptable on two counts. Firstly, itincorporates part of the ISO logo, which isa registered trademark. Secondly, it givesthe false impression that ISO carries outISO 9000 certification. ISO does notauthorize the use of its logo in connectionwith certification and it does not operate anISO 9000 certification scheme.


A potential for confusion

Another practice to be avoided is using“ISO” as shorthand for “ISO 9000” in suchphrases as “ISO compliance”, “ImplementingISO helped us reduce reworks and rejects”,or “Never mind the certificate: ISO is justvery good management practice!”.

The ISO 9000 series is one of best knownin the history of ISO, but it is not the onlysuccess story of the organization, whichdevelops standards not only for qualitymanagement, but over almost the entirerange of technology. So while “ISO” mayindeed mean ISO 9000 to one audience,it may mean freight container dimensions,film speeds or computing protocols toothers and, increasingly, it will meanenvironmental management to still others.Therefore, if a reference to “ISO” reallymeans “ISO 9000” or “ISO 14000”, it isbetter to say so.

ISO 9000? Be precise!

ISO 9000 assessments and certificationsare specific. The ISO 9000 certificate willdelineate the scope of activities covered bythe quality management system which thecertification body has assessed and found tobe in conformance with ISO 9001, ISO 9002or ISO 9003.

Some businesses have achieved “company-wide” certification of all their processesand activities. However, in the majority ofcases, companies achieve quality systemcertification on a site-by-site basis, or byproduct line or service.

So, if the quality system at a company’shead office unit is ISO 9000-certified, thisdoes not mean that all the company’sbranches – whether in the same country orabroad – are allowed to claim similar statusuntil their quality systems too have beenassessed and issued a certificate. The qualitysystem being assessed is regarded as aspecific characteristic of the site where it isoperated.

In advertisements and other promotionalmaterial, companies are encouraged to beprecise about the area of their business forwhich they have been awarded an ISO 9000certificate.

ISO 14000? Be specific!

An organization which implements anenvironmental management system basedon the ISO 14000 standards has the freedomand flexibility to define the boundaries ofthat system. In other words, the system maycover the entire organization, or specificoperating units or activities of theorganization.

However, if the organization decides tohave the system certified as conforming toISO 14001, then any publicity given to thecertification should not misrepresent itsextent. This could happen, for example, bygiving the impression that a company-wideenvironmental management system hasbeen certified when, in fact, only oneoperating unit among several has beencertified.

No ISO 9000 or ISO 14000 products

ISO 9001, ISO 9002 and ISO 9003 aregeneric models against which a qualitymanagement system can be audited. Theydo not specify the quality criteria for aspecific product.

Therefore, no advertisement or other formof publicity should give the impressionthat a product – whether the product ishardware, software, a processed material,or a service activity – is “ISO 9000-certified”or “ISO 9000-registered”.

This false claim can result from showing animage of a product with “ISO 9000-certified”or “ISO 9000-registered” stamped on it. Infact, the company concerned will have beenassessed and certified in respect of theprocesses that made up the manufacturing


of that product. But this is not the samething as product certification. It is unaccept-able to mislead purchasers and consumersby giving the impression that ISO 9000 is aproduct quality label.

By the same token, a product itself shouldnot carry the mention “ISO 9000-certified”or “ISO 9000-registered”, nor should theproduct carry the logo of the certificationbody in a way that gives the falseimpression that the product itself is ISO9000-certified or ISO 9000-registered.

Similar remarks apply to ISO 14001. Forexample, while this standard will assist anorganization in managing the impact on theenvironment of its product-manufacturingprocesses, an ISO 14001 certification is notto be confused with one of the “green” or“environment-friendly” labels which arebecoming more and more commonly foundon products.

Environmental labelling is an issue which isbeing dealt with by further standards of theISO 14000 family.

An example of what to avoid: this is unac-ceptable because it gives the false impressionthat ISO 9000 is a product quality label.ISO 9000 certificates are issued for qualitymanagement systems, not products.

No pulling rank!

ISO 9001, ISO 9002 and ISO 9003 are thethree standards against which a qualitysystem can be audited and certified.ISO 9001 certification of a quality systemdoes not signify a higher level of qualitythan ISO 9002 certification, and the latter isnot “better”, or of a higher quality rankingthan ISO 9003 certification.

The three standards differ in their scopes:

– ISO 9001 sets out the requirements foran organization whose business processesrange all the way from design anddevelopment, to production, installationand servicing;

– for an organization which does not carryout design and development, ISO 9002 isthe appropriate standard since it does notinclude the design control requirements ofISO 9001 – otherwise, its requirements areidentical;

– ISO 9003 is the appropriate standard foran organization whose business processesdo not include design control, processcontrol, purchasing or servicing, and whichbasically uses inspection and testing toensure that final products and services meetspecified requirements.

So, an organization chooses that its qualitysystem be certified against ISO 9001,ISO 9002 or ISO 9003 according to thebusiness processes covered by the qualitysystem. Advertisements which imply aquality ranking between the three standardsare misleading and should be avoided.

What to do about misleadingpublicity

There are several things that people cando if they suspect that a product, anadvertisement or other promotional materialcarries misleading information with respectto ISO 9000 or ISO 14000. If the ISO logo isused, or the impression given that ISOcertified or approved a management systemof the company concerned, then ISOwould like to receive a copy of the materialcarrying this information. The complaintshould go to the ISO member institute inthe country concerned, or to the ISO CentralSecretariat, although the Central Secretariatwould ask its national member to intercede.

If there is a problem or doubt concerningthe scope of the certification claimed, orsomething of a related nature that wouldconcern the certification body whichissued the certificate, then the certificationbody should be informed, along with theaccreditation body. In all cases, theadvertiser itself should be informed.

Getting it right!

While urging companies to avoid theabove pitfalls, we congratulate youon your achievement in achievingISO 9000 or ISO 14000 certification andunderstand your desire to share the newswith your customers, both present andpotential.

As the good examples on the followingpages illustrate, with a little thought andingenuity, you can get it right. In style!

ISO

ISO (International Organization forStandardization) is a worldwide federationof national standards bodies from some 130countries, one from each country. Itsmission is to promote the developmentof standardization and related activities inthe world with a view to facilitating theinternational exchange of goods andservices, and to developing cooperationin the spheres of intellectual, scientific,technological and economic activity.

For more information onISO 9000 and ISO 14000

– Contactyour national standards institute or the ISO

Central Secretariat.

– Read– ISO 9000 News (six issues a year), which

includes updates on the ISO 9000 family of

quality management and quality assurance

standards, and news on their implementation

around the world, as well as related develop-

ments, such as ISO 9000 certification; cover-

age of ISO 14000 is being increased as these

new standards are implemented;

– ISO Bulletin (monthly), which provides an

overview of ISO’s activities in international

standardization over almost the entire range

of technology, including articles on the ISO

14000 family of environmental management

standards.

Both publications are available through ISO’s

national members and the Central Secretariat.

– Connectwith ISO Online, the electronic information

service on Internet, accessible via the World

Wide Web by connecting with the following

Uniform Resource Locator (URL):

http://www .iso.ch/


Some good examples of advertisements – from the Press and on telephonecards – publicizing ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 certifications. Being accurate doesnot mean limiting the imagination!



Please note that for technical reasons it has not been possibleto include some of the advertisements in this PDF version.

Paper copies are available from the ISO Central Secretariat.


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