Understanding product certification for compliance

Many in the building industry choose to use independent, third-party certification for compliance – moving the work and the onus of checking products from individual designers, builders, and building officials to an expert, impartial body with market credibility and qualified auditors.

But unfortunately, not all schemes are equal. There are five main characteristics that you should look for in a certification scheme.

1. Independence is crucial. The scheme should be run separately from any industry suppliers, builders, bodies or any other group commercially invested in the industry, in order to avoid conflicts of interest and ensure integrity.

2. Expertise – auditors should have in-depth experience, expertise and qualifications. The independent certifier should provide users with confidence that contractual obligations are being met, that project risks are being identified, and that effective verification and monitoring systems are implemented. 

3. Clear, robust processes should provide a clear and thorough audit plan, for example specifying if it includes site inspection and physical monitoring of the work; or whether the auditors witness product testing. Audits and testing should be regular and rigorous, with ongoing checking of the manufacturer.

4. Accreditation – the independent certifier themselves should be credible and accredited by certification bodies. In New Zealand, certification bodies should be recognised by JASANZ (which accredits the bodies that then certify or inspect organisations, products, management systems, or people).

5. Security - Finally, the certification itself should be verifiable in a secure way, at an immutable source. If the certification itself can be fraudulent or falsified, then the process is worthless. It should also include traceability of product, to ensure unbroken visibility of the same product.

Steel certification

In the instance of construction steel, the Australasian Certification Authority for Reinforcing and Structural Steels (ACRS), is the leading independent third-party certifier for the region. It provides traceability from mill to processor, through the importer, trader or distributor, all the way to the construction site. It operates independently of steel producers, suppliers, associations and the steel industry, which is crucial to its role as a trusted and impartial certifier. To further provide confidence to the market, the ACRS Product and Quality Management schemes are also accredited by third-party accreditation body JASANZ. ACRS’ Cloud app means steel certification can be verified in a secure environment, simply by scanning product tags or paperwork. 

 This article first appeared in Building Officials Institute of New Zealand Straight Up Magazine, Spring 2025