International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC)
The International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) is a global authority responsible for promoting the accreditation of conformity assessment bodies to ensure their competence, impartiality, and performance capability. Founded in 1977, ILAC's primary mission is to foster the international equivalence and acceptance of results generated by accredited testing and calibration laboratories, inspection bodies, and proficiency testing providers. This global network enhances trust and confidence in services provided by accredited organizations, facilitating international trade by reducing technical barriers.
ILAC's extensive membership includes accreditation bodies from around the world and stakeholders from various sectors including government, industry, and associations. These members collaborate through a structured framework to develop and harmonize international accreditation practices. One of the primary tools ILAC uses to achieve mutual recognition is the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA), which members sign to indicate that they adhere to the same standards and procedures. This arrangement ensures that data and test results from one country are accepted in another without the need for further testing, which significantly enhances the efficiency of global trade and regulatory processes.
ILAC works closely with international standard-setting organizations like the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), as well as other global accreditation cooperatives like the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). This cooperation ensures that the standards and guidelines utilized in accreditation processes are aligned with international norms, facilitating consistency and reliability across borders. By promoting the competence and equivalence of accredited bodies worldwide, ILAC supports consumer safety, environmental protection, and overall public health. For more detailed information about ILAC’s initiatives, structure, and impact on global accreditation practices, please visit their official website.
Institutions
- ASQ - American Society for QualityIEC - International Electrotechnical CommissionISO - International Organization for StandardizationInternational Accreditation Forum (IAF)International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC)Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC)GFSI & The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF)
- CEN CENELECAssociation Française de Normalisation (AFNOR)Comité Français d'Accréditation (COFRAC)Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN)Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle (DAkkS)Ente Nazionale Italiano di Unificazione (UNI)Italian Accreditation Body - AccrediaNederlands Normalisatie Instituut (NEN)Dutch Accreditation Council (RvA)Asociación Española de Normalización (UNE)Entidad Nacional de Acreditación (ENAC)Swedish Standards Institute (SIS)Swedish Board for Accreditation and Conformity Assessment (SWEDAC)Swiss Association for Standardization (SNV)Swiss Accreditation Service (SAS)British Standards Institution (BSI)United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS)Austrian Standards (AS)Akkreditierung AustriaBureau de Normalisation (NBN)Belgian Accreditation Body (BELAC)Czech Office for Standards, Metrology and Testing (ÚNMZ)Czech Accreditation Institute (CAI)Danish Standards (DS)Danish Accreditation Fund (DANAK)Finnish Standards Association (SFS)Finnish Accreditation Service (FINAS)Hungarian Standards Institution (MSZT)National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI)Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB)National Accreditation Body of Hungary (NAH)Romanian Accreditation Association (RENAR)Polish Committee for Standardization (PKN)Polish Centre for Accreditation (PCA)Instituto Português da Qualidade (IPQ)Portuguese Institute for Accreditation (IPAC)Romanian Standards Association (ASRO)Federal Accreditation Service (RusAccreditation)Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and Metrology (Rosstandart)Slovenian Institute for Standardization (SIST)Bulgarian Institute for Standardization (BDS)Bulgarian Accreditation Service (BAS)Croatian Standards Institute (HZN)Croatian Accreditation Agency (HAA)Cyprus Organization for Standardization (CYS)Icelandic Standards (IST)Institute for Standardization of Serbia (ISS)Accreditation Body of Serbia (ATS)Belarusian State Centre for Accreditation (BSCA)Belarusian State Committee for Standardization (BELST)Icelandic Accreditation (ISAC)Latvian Standard (LVS)Latvian National Accreditation Bureau (LATAK)European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)
- Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas (ABNT)Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Qualidade e Tecnologia (INMETRO)Instituto Argentino de Normalización y Certificación (IRAM)Organismo Argentino de Acreditación (OAA)Instituto Nacional de Normalización (INN)Instituto Colombiano de Normas Técnicas y Certificación (ICONTEC)Organismo Nacional de Acreditación de Colombia (ONAC)Fondo para la Normalización y Certificación de la Calidad (FONDONORMA)Instituto Uruguayo de Normas Técnicas (UNIT)Organismo Uruguayo de Acreditación (OUA)
- South African Bureau of Standards (SABS)South African National Accreditation System (SANAS)Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality (EOS)Egyptian Accreditation Council (EGAC)Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ)Institut Algérien de Normalisation (IANOR)Algerian Accreditation Body (ALGERAC)Ethiopian Standards Institute (IES)Ethiopian Accreditation Service (EAS)Ghana Standards Authority (GSA)Ghana National Accreditation Service (GhaNAS)Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS)Kenya Accreditation Service (KENAS)Botswana Bureau of Standards (BOBS)Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS)Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS)Institut National de la Normalisation et de la Propriété Industrielle (INNORPI) - TunisiaTunisian Accreditation Council (TUNAC)Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS)Southern African Development Community Accreditation Services (SADCAS)
- National Standardization Agency of Indonesia (BSN)Standardization Administration of China (SAC)China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS)Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)Japanese Industrial Standards Committee (JISC)Japan Accreditation Board (JAB)Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO)Saudi Accreditation Committee (SAC)National Accreditation Body of Indonesia (KAN)Standards Institution of Israel (SII)Israel Laboratory Accreditation Authority (ISRAC)Department of Standards Malaysia (DSM)Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA)Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC)Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS)Philippine Accreditation Bureau (PAB)Singapore Standards Council (SSC)Singapore Accreditation Council (SAC)Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS)Korea Accreditation Board (KAB)Turkish Standards Institution (TSE)Turkish Accreditation Agency (TÜRKAK)Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA)Emirates International Accreditation Centre (EIAC)Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI)Bangladesh Accreditation Board (BAB)Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS)Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control (COSQC)Iraqi Accreditation System (IQAS)Jordan Standards and Metrology Organization (JSMO)Jordan Accreditation Unit (JAC)National Standards And Quality Department (NSQD) MyanmarSri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI)Sri Lanka Accreditation Board (SLAB)Mongolian Agency for Standardization and Metrology (MASM)Mongolian National Accreditation System (MNAS)Institute of Standards of Cambodia (ISC)Cambodia Accreditation Council (CAC)Iran National Standards Organization (INSO)National Accreditation Center of Iran (NACI)GCC Standardization Organization - GSO