Validation and verification as conformity assessment (assurance) are understood to be a confirmation of reliability of information declared in claims: ESG Rating and sustainability report.

The reference standard for bodies providing assurance services is ISO/IEC 17029.

Since the requirements in this standard are generic in nature, a programme for the particular validation/verification needs is operated.

The Get It Fair – GIF ESG Rating and reporting assurance programme further specifies definitions, principles, rules, processes and requirements for validation/verification process steps, as well as for the competence of validators/verifiers.

Assurance is provided by validation/verification and gives confidence to stakeholders and parties interested in the claim. The programme can define levels of assurance, e.g. limited or reasonable level of assurance.

In addition to ISO/IEC 17029 Requirements, the Get It Fair programme includes the requirements specified in the standards IESBA IESSA and IAASB ISSA 5000.

The Get It Fair scheme owner is member of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), worldwide association of accreditation bodies and other bodies interested in conformity assessment in different fields including validation and verification of claims.

IAF represents 95 accreditation bodies worldwide. Accreditation Body Members must declare their common intention to join the IAF Multilateral Recognition Agreement (MLA) recognising the equivalence of other signatories’ accreditations to their own.

IAF primary function is to develop a single worldwide program of conformity assessment which reduces risk for businesses and their customers by assuring them that accredited certificates and validation and verification statements may be relied upon.

The Get It Fair Programme has been evaluated by Accredia (National Accreditation Body) in accordance with the standard “PG-13-01 Rev.04 Procedura  per l’avvio di accreditamento di nuovi ambiti e schemi di valutazione della conformità” (the procedure is based on the EA-1/22 EA procedure and criteria for the evaluation of conformity assessment schemes by EA accreditation body members) to determine the suitability of the Programme for accreditation purposes.

MOU are signed between the Scheme Owner and national accreditation bodies to provide verification/validation bodies with the accreditation in accordance with:

  • ISO/IES 17029
  • The Get It Fair programme

What is accreditation?

Accreditation operates in the public interest across all market sectors. It is a third party, impartial and independent process to assess that an organization is competent, independent and impartial to perform conformity assessment services (such as verification/validation of claims) in conformity with the relevant standard (ISO/IEC 17029).

Accreditation: third-party attestation related to a conformity assessment body, conveying formal demonstration of its competence, impartiality and consistent operation in performing specific conformity assessment activities (ISO 17000:2000).

Benefits and value

Accreditation helps businesses to reduce costs, increase productivity and access new markets. It also helps to build customer confidence.

Accredited bodies performing sustainability information assurance services meet all required standards, as well as regulatory requirements and sector specific criteria, in terms of:

  • technical competence;
  • independence, impartiality and integrity;
  • risk management;
  • adequate use of human and equipment resources;
  • mechanism for continuous improvement of service quality;
  • complaint and appeal system.

Accreditation helps businesses to reduce costs, increase productivity and access new markets. It also helps to build customer confidence.

Using accredited services for businesses can:

  • Increase the credibility of validated/verified claims
  • Receive an ESG “passport” for international trade based on multilateral agreements;
  • Avoid the duplication of time and cost for the sustainability information assurance
  • Reduce the exposure level to ESG risks as purchasing by organizations with an accredited claim confirms the assurance of the ESG rating and sustainability report to recognized standards and programs
  • Be an essential tool for decision-making, risk management and supplier selection to contribute to sustainable value chains
  • Give a competitive advantage in domestic markets through access to public sector contracts
  • Increase the confidence of client and consumers who want to trust in the organizations’ sustainability information.

How does accreditation work?

National Accreditation Bodies (NABs) perform assessments of verification/validation bodies (the generic term for these bodies is Conformity Assessment Bodies) to confirm their technical competence and impartiality to perform assurance (verification/verification) engagement.

Accreditation demonstrates compliance with specified requirements for:

  • Competence: experience and technical skills of the staff in the accredited or applicant body are verified by qualified assessors with relevant expertise and specialized knowledge;
  • Independence: accredited bodies that grant certificates or issue test reports for instance shall show independence from the organisations to which their services are provided, in terms of decision-making powers or economic and business relations for instance;
  • Impartiality: accredited bodies shall show absence of or properly manage potential conflicts of interest with the client to whom they provide services. For instance, they shall not share any commercial interests.

To provide fair competition between companies which use accredited bodies providing assurance services, accreditation needs to be harmonized to produce comparable results. Harmonization in accreditation practices is made possible thanks to the Multilateral Agreement (MLA).

Signatory National Accreditation Bodies (NAB) to the MLA are evaluated by their peers regularly. The objective is to maintain mutual confidence amongst signatories that accreditation delivered by one of them is as reliable as accreditation delivered by the other signatories.

To ensure continued compliance, National Accreditation Bodies are regularly re-assessed, through the MLA, to ensure they:

  • keep pace with technical and regulatory changes in their area of expertise;
  • maintain their standards of work;
  • demonstrate practical competence and sound judgement.

At present, Get it Fair it is not yet a Sub-scope of the IAF MLA for ISO/IEC 17029. Nevertheless, the Programme can be considered equally reliable because operated under accreditation of a IAF member signatory of the IAF MLA for the standard ISO/IEC 17029