Rules for Reference to Certification and use of marks
1. Certified clients may use the ZERTIA Certification Mark after certification has been granted.
2. Applicants may not use the ZERTIA Certification Mark. Applicants may include a statement on their website or other forms of public communication indicating that they have applied for certification through ZERTIA.
3. The ZERTIA Certification Mark must only be used in its original form as provided by Zertia.
4. There shall be no ambiguity in the text accompanying the certification mark, or any text that refers to certification, as to what has been certified and which certification body has granted the certification.
5. The ZERTIA Certification Mark must not be used in any way that may be interpreted as denoting product conformity, or AI system conformity.
6. If the ZERTIA Certification Mark or any statement referring to certification is used on product packaging or in accompanying information, it must clearly indicate that the certified client has a certified management system. No statement must be made in a way to imply that the product, process, service or system is certified by this means. The statement must include:
a. Identification of the certified client (name of organisation)
b. The type of management system and applicable standard, for example: Artificial Intelligence Management System, ISO/IEC 42001:2023
c. The certification body issuing the certificate (ZERTIA).
Product packaging is considered as that which can be removed without the product disintegrating or being damaged. Accompanying information is considered as separately available or easily detachable. Type labels or identification plates are considered as part of the product.
7. The ZERTIA Certification Mark must not be applied to laboratory test, calibration or inspection reports or certificates.
8. Any time the certified client refers to Certification by ZERTIA, the text must clearly indicate that the client has a certified management system. Any statement must in no way imply that the product, process, service or AI system is certified.
9. Certified clients agree that they:
a. Must conform to the requirements in this document when making reference to its certification status in communication media such as the internet, brochures or advertising, or other documents.
b. Must not or do not permit any misleading statement regarding its certification.
c. Must not or do not permit the use of a certification document or any part thereof in a misleading manner.
d. Upon withdrawal of its certification, discontinue its use of all advertising matter that contains a reference to certification, as directed by ZERTIA.
e. Amend all advertising matter when the scope of certification has been reduced.
f. Do not allow reference to management system certification to be used in such a way as to imply that ZERTIA certifies a product (including service), process, or system.
g. Do not imply that the certification applies to activities and sites that are outside the scope of certification.
h. Do not use its certification in such a manner that would bring ZERTIA and/or the system of certifications into disrepute and lose public trust.
10. Incorrect reference to certification status or misleading use of certification documents, marks or audit reports may lead to suspension, withdrawal of certification, publication of the transgression, and, if necessary, legal action.
11. Certified clients may use the ANAB Accreditation Symbol under the following conditions:
a. Clients are not permitted to use the ANAB Accreditation Symbol until ZERTIA has formally obtained ANAB accreditation. Any use prior to the granting of accreditation is strictly prohibited.
b. The ANAB Accreditation Symbol must only be used in conjunction with the ZERTIA Certification Mark on the certified client’s stationery and literature and in its marketing, subject to the conditions in this document.
c. Only approved accreditation symbols and certification marks must be used, both of which will be provided to the certified client by ZERTIA.
d. The ANAB Accreditation Symbol must be reproduced on a background that will not impede readability:
i. In black or blue (PMS 286 or equivalent) and red (PMS 485 or equivalent) on a white or light-coloured background, or white on a dark-coloured background;
ii. In a size that makes all features of the symbol clearly distinguishable; and
iii. Without distortion of its dimensions.
e. The ANAB Accreditation Symbol must not be placed in isolation from the ZERTIA Certification Mark, and the size of the ANAB Accreditation Symbol must not exceed the size of the ZERTIA Certification Mark.
f. The ZERTIA Certification Mark must not be used on a product or packaging or in such a way as to suggest that ZERTIA and/or ANAB have certified or approved any product, process, statement, claim, or service of an organisation, or in any other misleading manner.
g. Upon withdrawal of the ANAB-accredited activity (management system certification) or ZERTIA’s ANAB accreditation, the certified client must immediately discontinue use of the ANAB Accreditation Symbol, ANAB’s name, and claims of accredited certification in any medium, including letterhead, electronic media, etc., and return or destroy any ANAB-accredited documents (e.g., certificates) referring to ANAB accreditation as required by ZERTIA or ANAB.
h. If the client continues to use the ANAB Accreditation Symbol or reference to ANAB, ANAB will issue a cease-and-desist order and, if the order is not met, may publish a notice on its website indicating that the entity is making a false claim of ANAB-accredited activity, and ANAB may take legal action.
12. Certified clients may use the UKAS National Accreditation Symbol under the following conditions:
a. Clients are not permitted to use the UKAS National Accreditation Symbol until ZERTIA has formally obtained UKAS accreditation and the client has been granted a valid certificate issued by ZERTIA under that accreditation. The symbol may only be used in connection with ZERTIA’s award of UKAS-accredited certification, and only where the symbol is relevant to the scope and scheme of the certificate. Any use prior to the granting of accreditation or outside the scope of the certificate is strictly prohibited.
b. The UKAS National Accreditation Symbol must always be used in conjunction with the ZERTIA Certification Mark on the certified client’s stationery, publicity material, and other items relevant to their certification, subject to the conditions in this document. The symbol and the ZERTIA Certification Mark must appear together as a single combined arrangement, with the certification body’s UKAS accreditation number included as specified by ZERTIA. Holders of accredited certificates may use the ZERTIA Certification Mark without the UKAS National Accreditation Symbol, but they must never use the UKAS National Accreditation Symbol on its own.
c. Only approved versions of the UKAS National Accreditation Symbol and the ZERTIA Certification Mark may be used, and these will be provided to the certified client by ZERTIA. The UKAS National Accreditation Symbol must only be displayed as downloaded from the official artwork supplied; it must not be redrawn, cropped, recreated, or modified, and the proportions of the symbol must not be altered. The symbol may be reproduced in black and white, or in the official UKAS purple colour (PANTONE 2685 C / RGB 51-0-114 / HEX 330072 / CMYK 97-100-0-19), or in a single colour that matches the predominant ink colour of the document or letterhead. Any other single colour must not be used without prior written consent communicated via ZERTIA in line with UKAS requirements.
d. The UKAS National Accreditation Symbol must be reproduced on a background that does not impede readability, in a size and quality that make all features clearly distinguishable and legible, and without distortion of its dimensions. When reproduced electronically, the symbol must not exhibit infilling, degradation, pixelation, or any other distortion. Electronic versions of the symbol used by the client must be obtained from ZERTIA (acting under licence from UKAS), and no substitutes or recreated artwork may be used. Embossed, relief, or die-stamped versions of the symbol may be used, and the symbol may also be reproduced as a watermark, provided all other conditions in this document are met.
e. The UKAS National Accreditation Symbol shall normally have a minimum height (excluding the accreditation number) of 20 mm. Any enlargement or reduction must retain the same proportions as the master artwork provided, and the symbol and the accreditation number must be treated as a single entity for the purposes of scaling. In exceptional circumstances, typically dictated by space limitations or cost, the symbol may be reproduced at a reduced height, provided that, in the opinion of ZERTIA and UKAS, it remains clearly legible and free from infilling or distortion. When the UKAS National Accreditation Symbol is printed on an unfolded portion of stationery sized no greater than A4, it must not exceed a height of 30 mm; on larger portions of unfolded stationery, the size may be increased proportionately.
f. The UKAS National Accreditation Symbol may only be used by certified clients on stationery, publicity material, and other items that are directly relevant to their certified management system. For the purposes of these conditions, publicity material and advertisements do not include notices, labels, documents, or written announcements affixed to, or appearing on, vehicles or flags. The UKAS National Accreditation Symbol must not be displayed on any vehicle, nor on buildings or flags. The symbol must not be used on goods, products, labelling, or packaging, or in any way that suggests product certification. Clients acknowledge that restrictions on the use of the UKAS National Accreditation Symbol may be extended by the relevant authorities to other items, goods, or products, and agree to comply with any such extensions as communicated by ZERTIA.
g. The UKAS National Accreditation Symbol must not be used in such a way as to suggest that the Secretary of State or UKAS has certified or approved any product or service, or in any other misleading manner. The symbol must not be used in any way that might mislead any reader about the status or role of any accredited organisation or about the nature or scope of the certification. The symbol must not be used in such a way as to imply that UKAS accepts responsibility or liability for any activities carried out under the scope of certification. Under no circumstances may the symbol be used in a manner that could reasonably be interpreted as misleading, deceptive, or implying endorsement beyond the fact that the client holds a certificate issued by a UKAS-accredited certification body.
h. Use of the UKAS National Accreditation Logo (as distinct from the UKAS National Accreditation Symbol) is restricted to UKAS itself. Certified clients must not reproduce or use the UKAS National Accreditation Logo in any advertisements, articles, publications, websites, or other materials referring to the work of UKAS. Clients are only permitted to use the UKAS National Accreditation Symbol provided to them via ZERTIA, and only in accordance with the conditions in this document.
i. Where a certified client wishes to make reference in text to UKAS accreditation instead of using the UKAS National Accreditation Symbol, the client shall use only the wording specified by ZERTIA for that purpose. This wording will identify ZERTIA as “a UKAS accredited certification body No. [accreditation number]”. Clients must ensure that any such wording is applied only to ZERTIA as the certification body and must not describe themselves as accredited by UKAS. Any textual reference must not imply that UKAS has certified or approved the client organisation, its products, or its services.
j. Upon withdrawal, suspension, or expiry of the client’s UKAS-accredited certification, or upon withdrawal or suspension of ZERTIA’s relevant UKAS accreditation, the certified client must immediately discontinue all use of the UKAS National Accreditation Symbol, any reference to UKAS-accredited certification, and any combined mark that includes the UKAS National Accreditation Symbol. The client must remove the symbol and any related references from all stationery, literature, advertisements (including web pages and social media), goods, labelling, packaging, and any other materials, and must comply with any further instructions issued by ZERTIA in line with UKAS requirements.
13. Certified clients may use the ENAC Accredited Certification Mark (Marca de Certificación Acreditada, MCA) under the following conditions:
a. The MCA may only be used by organisations or individuals holding a valid ENAC-accredited certificate issued by ZERTIA. It shall always appear as a single graphic unit combined with the ZERTIA Certification Mark. ZERTIA will not permit any client to use the MCA until ENAC has provided written approval for the combined mark to ZERTIA.
b. The MCA must always be displayed in association with the certified organisation’s name exactly as it appears on the ENAC-accredited certificate. The MCA may only be used to refer to activities, processes, or systems that fall fully within the scope of the accredited certificate.
c. The MCA may be used on stationery (including letterheads, invoices, greetings, and similar materials), even when not all activities of the organisation are certified, subject to the following limitations:
i. Where only a small portion of the organisation’s activities, locations, sites, or departments is certified, ZERTIA may restrict the use of the MCA to prevent any misleading impression regarding the scope of certification.
ii. When the MCA is used in offers or quotations, and not all activities included in the offer fall within the accredited certification scope, the client must clearly indicate—by means of a symbol, statement, or any equivalent method—which activities are covered by the certification.
iii. When the MCA is used in product or service catalogues, and only certain activities are certified, the client must clearly distinguish between certified and non-certified activities. The MCA must never imply that uncertified activities are included in the accredited certification.
d. The MCA may be used in advertising or promotional material of any kind, including press and television advertisements; promotional items such as calendars and diaries; billboards; bus advertising; and marked company vehicles. The following rules apply:
i. The MCA must always appear as a single graphic unit associated with the certified organisation’s name exactly as it appears on the accredited certificate.
ii. Any advertisement that includes the MCA must explicitly mention the certified organisation. The MCA may not be used in advertisements that feature only products or commercial brands without identifying the certified organisation.
iii. The MCA may only be used in connection with the certified activities and certified sites. Organisations that do not have all their activities or locations certified must either clarify this fact within the advertisement, or limit their advertising to the certified activities and certified sites only.
e. The MCA is subject to the following conditions regarding where and how it may be used:
i. The MCA may only be used in direct connection with certified activities. It must not be used in any way that could mislead or imply that ENAC has certified or approved a product, service, organisation, or individual.
ii. The MCA may not be used on products, test reports, inspection reports, or any documents that imply product conformity or product certification.
iii. The MCA must not be placed on the product or object resulting from a service. This includes, for example, placing the MCA on equipment that has been serviced or maintained, or on premises, installations, or items that have been cleaned, repaired, or otherwise subject to the certified service.
iv. Organisations whose product is a document (such as consultancies, engineering firms, conformity assessment bodies, auditors, laboratories, or inspection bodies) may not place the MCA on any such documents, including certificates, drawings, reports, plans, or inspection records.
v. The MCA must not be used on primary packaging under any circumstances. It may be used on secondary packaging only where it remains associated with the certified organisation’s name and where the accredited certification covers the management system governing the manufacturing of the packaged product. For the purpose of these rules:
1. Primary packaging refers to any packaging designed to contain the product or constitute a unit of sale to the final consumer or end user. It covers the product fully or partially and cannot be removed or altered without opening or modifying the packaging itself.
2. Secondary packaging refers to packaging designed to group primary packages together and used solely to protect them or facilitate handling or transport. It may also refer to packaging that can be removed without disintegrating or damaging the product.
f. Clients may choose to reference their accredited certification through a textual statement instead of using the MCA. The recommended wording is: “(organisation) operates a (quality / environmental / etc.) management system certified in accordance with (standard) by (certification body).” Such statements may be used in all situations where the MCA is permitted and are subject to the same restrictions, including the requirement to avoid implying product certification.
g. The MCA may only be used by clients of certification bodies. Its use is strictly prohibited for clients of any other type of conformity assessment body accredited by ENAC (e.g., laboratories, inspection bodies, validators, verifiers, biobanks, etc.).
h. Systematic misuse of the MCA or repeated failure to comply with these rules may lead ZERTIA to apply corrective actions, including suspension or withdrawal of certification.
i. Upon withdrawal, suspension, or expiry of the client’s ENAC-accredited certification, or upon withdrawal or suspension of ZERTIA’s relevant ENAC accreditation, the client must immediately cease all use of the MCA and remove it from all stationery, advertising material, websites, social media, vehicles, catalogues, offers, and any other media under their control. The client must comply with any further instructions issued by ZERTIA in line with ENAC requirements.