In a recent podcast, the Australian Industry Group spoke with NATA’s Brett Hyland about a part of global trade that most of us rarely see: the systems that help us trust the products, services and information we rely on every day.
The conversation explored how accreditation, standards and measurement work together to underpin confidence, from drinking water and medical testing to construction materials, manufactured products and consumer goods.
Brett discussed the role accreditation plays in providing confidence in the organisations carrying out testing, inspection and certification, and how international accreditation arrangements help support the acceptance of results across borders.
The podcast also looked beyond testing itself to consider what happens as products move through increasingly complex global supply chains.
Issues such as counterfeit certificates, product substitution, design changes and poor traceability can undermine confidence even where testing has been undertaken. This led the discussion to one of the emerging developments in international product assurance: digital product passports.
The podcast explored how digital product passports could provide greater visibility of information about a product’s origin, characteristics, performance and compliance as it moves through the supply chain. Initially associated with improving transparency around sustainability claims, the concept is increasingly relevant to the broader discussion about product integrity and traceability.
For Australian manufacturers and exporters, the discussion highlighted an important shift. As expectations around product information and traceability evolve, being able to demonstrate compliance may increasingly be accompanied by the need to provide trusted information about what a product is, where it came from and how it has moved through the supply chain.
At its heart, this podcast is about trust. As international supply chains become more complex, the ability to substantiate product claims with reliable evidence is becoming increasingly important.
Listen to the full podcast below to hear Brett explain how accreditation supports confidence today and why traceability could play an increasingly important role in the future of international trade.