Certification is one of the tools that contributes most to making companies competitive in the market. Issued by an impartial third-party certification body, it certifies the conformity of a product, service or system to the regulations in force and makes it clear through the display of a quality mark.

• A service to companies: certification and the relative mark may be compulsory or voluntary; in the European Union, some products considered particularly dangerous must obtain the CE mark in order to be marketed. In many other cases, however, compliance with a specific technical standard is a voluntary choice of the manufacturer: certification then becomes a key factor in increasing the competitiveness of the company and the possibility of growing in the market.
• For the consumer: certification guarantees the quality of the product or service requested and its compliance with safety, performance and reliability specifications.