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AFNOR Certification - the corporate brochure (PDF)
AFNOR Certification - Magazine Action Et Performance n°9 Nov2009 - Vignette

Action & Performance magazine, issue #9, november 2009 (PDF)


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As is stipulated in the international standards, a certification body has to act in total independence, free from ties to its customers. AFNOR Certification is not just a trusted third party standing firm in its advocacy of independence and confidentiality; we go the extra mile to guarantee that our code of professional ethics is shared by all teams and adopted throughout our partner networks.

 

AFNOR policy is braided by three central strands: impartiality in judgements on the issuing of certification, equal treatment for all applicants and all certification-holders, and fully transparent decision-making.

 

Expertise

AFNOR Certification coordinates a 1500-strong network of qualified, experienced auditors. Most of them also have a 'day job' alongside their auditor role. These auditors perform to the very same code of professional conduct as that governing the AFNOR: impartiality, professionalism, hands-on guidance. They are duty-bound to refresh their qualifications and their in-depth knowledge of the reference frameworks that they audit. AFNOR Certification tasks them to missions according to each customer's specific profile: their business, size, language, radius of activity, corporate culture, and so on…

 

AFNOR Certification's qualified auditors are renowned for their independence, their talent for consensus-building and co-development, and their full mastery of the target business sector.

 

The assessment and certification services offered by AFNOR Certification are delivered, in the main, through two world-class quality marks: AFAQ and NF. The NF mark activity mobilizes a comprehensive network of impartial and competently-skilled technical bodies (industry-leading laboratories, technical centres and inspection agencies), all AFNOR Certification partners.

 

All are COFRAC-accredited. They boast insider scientific knowledge and field-proven technical skills in their respective areas of action. It is this network-driven setup that drives AFAQ and NF mark development and market-awareness.

 

Independence, impartiality

Our code of ethics triangulates around:


  • Independence, impartiality, and compliance with the code of professional ethics when developing our services and conducting our business.

"AFNOR Certification has set up an organizational structure that gives our customers evidence that we deliver a top-quality certification service. We state a pledge to define and develop our certification processes in compliance with all applicable international standards governing conformity assessment (ISO/IEC 17021, EN 45011, ISO/IEC 17024). This pledge is materialized in the COFRAC accreditation awarded to our certification body and our partners for our core activities.


Our Policy Council bringing together the different certification stakeholder groups guarantees impartiality in our processes and oversees that there are no conflicts of interest. Separate committees for each type of certification and tabling together the external-member stakeholders are tasked with monitoring the certification process and reporting back to the Policy Council.


AFNOR core values are disciplined action, ethical conduct, respect for our customers and the level of service we owe them. These values lead us to deliver professional-standard services to each individual customer and push us to constantly seek out new perspectives for improving the quality of our certification and assessment service delivery. Everyone working for or with the AFNOR makes a personal pledge to display and distil these values, and signal any conflict of interest.”

Florence Méaux, CEO, AFNOR Certification


  • Decisions to award certification taken by Certification Experts with inside knowledge of your business sectors and the constraints involved.

  • A benchmark certificate whose reputability and international renown are commensurate with the level of dedication you have put in.

 

Hands-on guidance

AFNOR Certification customers are guaranteed hands-on guidance from a dedicated correspondent throughout the assessment and/or certification process. One of the secrets to AFNOR Certification's success has been its ability to reproduce this customer-tailored follow-up at international scale, through local branches in over 90 countries across five continents, and through 14 regional delegations on French home turf. The French delegations organize events and host certification-holder club meetings (the 'Clubs des Certifiés') where participants can network and exchange feedback.

 

EAFNOR Certification offers the same level of quality service delivery in France and abroad, driving improved performance for customers worldwide.

 

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