IOAS
Assured Certification with International Accreditation
IOAS is a non-profit international accreditation organization founded by IFOAM in 1997. USB Certification is IOAS accredited under ISO/IEC 17065.
ISO/IEC 17065
IFOAM Member
IOAS ensures the integrity of its claims in the areas of organic and sustainable agriculture, recycling, environmental management, social compliance and fair trade; assesses the competence of certification bodies and oversees international impartiality.
What is IOAS?
Mission and Goals
IOAS is an international non-profit accreditation organization founded by IFOAM in 1997. The organization focuses on assuring the integrity of ecolabel claims in organic and sustainable agriculture, environmental management, social justice and fair trade. It assesses the competence of certification bodies on an international scale to create fair competition for producers and increase consumer confidence in labeled products.
IOAS serves intermediary organizations that provide auditing and certification services that oversee these actors rather than supply chain actors directly. Its role is to ensure the correct application of standards and certification requirements, maintain impartiality and transparency, and avoid conflicts of interest.
IOAS Accreditation Scope
USB Certification has accreditation from the IOAS accreditation body in the standards and scopes on the right. Detailed information can be found at oas.org
GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)
- Control and certification of all processes in textile production
- Approval of chemicals and dyestuffs according to GOTS criteria
Textile Exchange
- GRS (Global Recycled Standard)
- OCS (Organic Content Standard)
- RCS (Recycled Claim Standard)
- RWS (Responsible Wool Standard)
- RMS (Responsible Mohair Standard)
- RAS (Responsible Alpaca Standard)
- RDS (Responsible Down Standard)
Standard Families Accredited by IOAS
Organic Agriculture
EU Organic provides accreditation services for global organic farming standards such as USDA NOP, IFOAM and Canada Organic Regime (COR).
Sustainable Agriculture
UTZ accredits certification bodies to Sustainable Agriculture Network and Rainforest Alliance standards.
Organic and Recycled Product
It covers the accreditation of GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and Textile Exchange standards (OCS, RCS, GRS etc.).
Organic Cosmetics
Provides international accreditation services in natural/organic cosmetics standards such as COSMOS and NaTrue.
Food Safety
GlobalG.A.P. covers food safety schemes such as CanadaGAP, BRC, IFS, SQF, PrimusGFS and Global Aquaculture Alliance.
Education Programs
Organizes international accreditation and audit trainings to strengthen the competence of certification bodies.
International Recognition and Memberships of IOAS
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Under the 2009 Canadian Organic Products Regulations, IOAS is specially regulated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as a Conformity Verification Body. IOAS is one of several organizations appointed to evaluate certification bodies under the Canadian Organic Regime.
ISEAL Alliance
IOAS is one of the founding members of the ISEAL Alliance, which works with sustainability standards in agriculture, fisheries, carbon, water and different sectors, running programs that strengthen their social and environmental impact.
Secure with Accredited Certification
USB Certification ensures the international validity and consumer confidence of your products with certification services provided within the scope of IOAS accreditation.
