Three of Australia’s leading standards and conformance bodies have released a new report highlighting measures that could increase trust in traded products and address supply chain vulnerabilities.
The report, Digitalisation of Conformance and Accreditation Processes, advocates simplifying the way product conformance information (including testing and certification) is managed by government and industry.
Assistant Minister for Industry Development Jonno Duniam said that improving the transparency of conformity information is the foundation of trust and confidence in trade and a focus area for the government going forward.
“With increasingly global supply chains and channels to market, it is essential we support industry by ensuring Australia’s product conformity systems remain relevant,” Assistant Minister Duniam said.
“We need to simplify trade systems to enable the rapid digital verification of product credentials and the detection of fraudulent or erroneous claims.
“The report proposes ways to link supply chains and product conformance information, which could help to address supply chain vulnerabilities and build resilience.
“Improvements to trade systems will benefit Australian businesses and consumers through enhanced efficiency and traceability of traded goods.”
The report was funded by the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources as part of a broader program of work on digital and critical technologies to boost Australia’s leadership in influencing the development and uptake of international standards.
This work forms part of a broader Government agenda to leverage data to enhance traceability in an international trade context, and complements the Government’s $68.4 million commitment to strengthen Australia’s agricultural traceability system.
The Digitalisation of Conformance and Accreditation Processes report has been issued by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA), the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ) and GS1 Australia (GS1).
The report is available at https://nata.com.au/supplychain/.
