What is Certification Mark?

A Certification Mark (also sometimes called as the Conformity Mark, or a Mark of Validity or Assurance) is a specific mark on a commercial product, indicating that the manufacturer of the product has tested and verified strict compliance with certain prescribed quality standards while manufacturing the product. Again, any specific certification mark may also indicate the location of the origin of the product, the materials of production or construction, method or mode of manufacturing, purity or accuracy, or any specific characteristics of the product.

A collective or generic definition of the certification mark has been given in the Section 2(1)(e) of the Indian Trade Marks Act of 1999. As India is one of the major economies of the world, it has a rather comprehensive and sophisticated system of product certifications, which are applicable to nearly all categories of goods and products. These certifications are issued and regulated by various governmental agencies, however, some product certifications are not mandatory and hold advisory status or are promotional in nature. The foregoing was answer to the question "what is certification mark?", and now, the section below is going to describe briefly the most prominent certification marks used in India.

Certification Marks Issued for Different Products in India

The following are the most famous State enforced (statutory) certification marks issued for different products in india, informed here to help the people and economic entities concerned:

• BIS Hallmark: --- Issued by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), this BIS Hallmark certification is a hallmarking system for the certifying the purity and standard of precious metals like gold and silver and jewelries of these in entire India. This BIS hallmark has been in use since 2000 for gold and its jewelries, and since 2005 for silver and its jewelries. Here, it may be noted that BIS is the national standards organization of India.
• AGMARK: --- Agmark certification mark is exclusively used for various agricultural products in India, and fortifies that those products duly and strictly conform to a certain set of related standards. This certification mark is issued by the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection, Govt. of India, and has been in legal force as per the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marketing) Act of 1937 (including amendment in this in 1986).At present, the AGMARK standards cover quality guidelines for 213 different agricultural goods and commodities which encompass diverse pulses, vegetables and fruits, cereals, vegetable oils, essential oils, and some semi-processed products like Vermicelli. In addition to the 'Central AGMARK Lab' located in Nagpur, there are State-owned Agmark laboratories in 11 nodal cities across India.
• ISI Mark: --- This ISI certification mark is mandatory for various standard industrial products, and has been effective since 1955. This ISI mark also is issued by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), and certifies that the concerned product strictly conforms to a well-devised set of standards laid by BIS.
• FPO Mark: --- Issued by the Ministry of Food Processing, and in legal force since 1955, this FPO certification mark is used for various 'Processed Fruit Products' such as packaged fruit beverages, pickles, fruit extracts, fruit-jams, dehydrated fruits, crushes and squashes, and so on. Following the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006, this FPO mark certifies that the concerned product has been processed in a truly hygienic 'food-safe' environment, and is therefore, not harmful to people's health.
• Non-Polluting Vehicle Mark: --- This non-polluting vehicle mark is a statutory certification mark necessary for all new motor vehicle sold in entire India, the validity of which is for one year only. This non-polluting certification mark ensures that the related vehicle does conform to the relevant version of the Bharat Stage Emission Standards. Here, it may be noted that the certification issued to a used motor vehicle is PUC (Pollution Under Control) Certificate.
• India Organic: --- A product bearing this India organic certification mark meets specifications given in the National Standards for Organic Products of 2000. Exclusively used on various organically farmed food products, this India organic certification is issued by the testing centers accredited by APEDA (the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority), under the National Program for Organic Production, Govt of India. Here, it may be noted that the Organic farming is the farming which does not make uses of chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers, etc.
• Eco Mark or Ecomark: --- Employed since 1991, this eco mark certification is also issued by BIS, and are required for the eco-friendly products. A product bearing this ecomark certification assures that the product strictly follows a set of certain standards which is aimed at minimizing adverse impact on the eco system, in addition to spreading environmental awareness amid consumers.

In addition to all above mandatory certification marks used in India, the following are certain certifications which fall under the categories specified.

• Toxicity Label: --- Used mandatorily on the containers of various pesticides sold in India, this label indicates the level of toxicity of the concerned pesticide in four levels.
• Vegetarian & Non-Vegetarian Marks: ---These Vegetarian Mark (green dot symbol) and the Non-Vegetarian Mark (Brown dot symbol) are legally prescribed for use on the respective packaged food products, to help distinction between those.

• Silk Mark: --- Certified by the 'Silk Mark Organization of India', this silk mark ensures that the concerned piece of textile is pure silk.
• Ayush Mark: ---This ayush mark, promoted by the Department of Ayush, is advisable on herbal products.
• Geographical Indication Marks: ---Introduced since 2003,these geographicalindication marksindicate the geographical origins of the related products. For example, Darjeeling Tea certification mark which is produced in Darjeeling; Basmati marksproduced in certain Indian locations.

To avail efficient and expert services for obtaining any desired certification marks in India, interested people or economic entities may readily call over: +91-8800-100-281; or send their respective orders or queries to: Contact@TrademarksIndia.net