We've previously covered what an ISO9001 certification is in an older post.
And now, it's time to have a look at another common certification that people generally don't know the meaning of. Keep reading If you're curious to find out!
CE Certification
This marking is actually a European one, that means that the product conforms to health, safety, and environmental standards that certain products sold in the European Economic Area must meet. These products include electronics, heavy machinery, construction equipment, water heaters/boilers, A/C units, civil use explosives to name a few.
Having this symbol on a product means it meets the correct standards to be freely sold on the European market.
The CE stands for Conformité Européenne, which means European Conformity. This is pretty self-explanatory.
There are rules manufacturers must follow in order to place this marking on their product:
1. Manufacturers are responsible for ensuring the correct EU legislation is applied to their products before.
2. Manufacturers must write a declaration of conformity, stating that their product meets EU standards.
3. Other markings on the products cannot overlap or impair the view of the CE marking in any way. Any other markings also need to differ in their significance.
A declaration of conformity is a statement that the manufacturer draws up stating how their product meets EU standards. It includes the manufacturer's details, how the products comply with the standards, any EU performance data and a legally binding signature from someone in the organization (preferably a lawyer/attorney).
This marking isn't just limited to the EU. Thanks to a mutual agreement, this marking is found on many products in nations that have similar standards for products (including Australia).
So now you know what that weird little symbol on some of your electronics means!
