World Accreditation Day 9 June 2025 – Accreditation empowering SMEs

World Accreditation Day on 9 June 2025 celebrates the role of accreditation and accredited conformity assessment in empowering small and medium enterprises.

As the WAD 2025 statement from the IAF and ILAC Chairs states, ‘Given their major contribution to job creation and global economic development, SMEs are an important part of achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, in particular to ‘promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all’ (goal 8) and to ‘build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation’ (goal 9). Accreditation is a proven tool that enables SMEs to deliver this sustainable growth and innovation. This year’s focus on SMEs aims to share examples of how accreditation supports SME
growth, with the aim of encouraging wider adoption of accreditation by SMEs across
the global economy.

WAD focuses on how accreditation, supported by global mutual recognition arrangements established by ILAC and IAF, helps SMEs to compete with larger, more established businesses. It demonstrates that they meet the requirements of regulators to open up new market opportunities, signifies credibility and instils confidence with potential customers. Accreditation also helps drive internal efficiencies and improved company culture. This is evidenced through independent research data and case studies of SMEs that have benefited from the adoption of accredited conformity assessment.’

The full WAD 2025 statement can be read here.

The two global accreditation organisations, IAF (International Accreditation Forum) and ILAC (International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation) have different material to help SMEs better understand the benefits of accreditation and accredited conformity assessment:

• World Accreditation Day 2025 brochure
• World Accreditation Day video
• SME case study videos from users of accreditation and accreditation conformity assessment
• Case studies relating to SMEs are available on the Business Benefits and Public Sector Assurance websites
• IAF/ILAC Accreditation Day (WAD) 2025 webinar, co-hosted by IIOA Chief Executive Marcus Long and Verónica Ramirez (EMA) as co-chairs of IAF/ILAC Joint Communications Working Group.