25 years of independent inspection and accreditation of the RHP quality mark

4 april 2025

On April 20, 2025, it will be exactly 25 years since RHP outsourced the inspection for the RHP quality mark to an external certification body. Following the privatisation in 1986, this was an important next step in RHP’s development. To mark this occasion, RHP then organised a gathering at the Dutch castle Oud-Wassenaar, where all certified companies received their official RHP certificate.

By outsourcing the inspection of the RHP quality mark, a strict separation was established between research & advice on one hand and inspection on the other. ECAS (European Certification Institute for the Agricultural Sector) became the first independent party to take on this task. Thanks to this external inspection, the RHP product certification scheme could be accredited – an official recognition that RHP received in 2000 during the event in Wassenaar, The Netherlands.

A reliable quality mark requires regular inspections at the companies that hold the quality mark. Since 2000, this has been carried out for the RHP quality mark by certification bodies – initially only by MPS-ECAS and later also by Kiwa. Their auditors conduct periodic audits and product inspections at the worldwide affiliated certified companies.

The inspections are based on clear standards. Companies commit to continuously meeting the requirements of the RHP quality mark, based on their quality management system. In addition to process inspections, certified raw materials and growing media are randomly sampled and analysed in the RHP laboratory or by recognised external laboratories. Only companies that meet all the requirements of the RHP product certification scheme, as certificate holders of the RHP quality mark, are allowed to use the RHP quality mark logo.

Accreditation adds extra value and reliability to quality marks, certificates, and laboratory analyses. In the Netherlands, accreditation is carried out by the Dutch Accreditation Council (RvA is short for the Dutch name ‘Raad voor Accreditatie’), which supervises quality marks and certification bodies.

RHP has been accepted by the RvA as the scheme manager of the RHP product certification scheme. The certification bodies MPS-ECAS and Kiwa carry out the inspections, while the RvA monitors their compliance with the established requirements. Every year, after submitting a scheme change of the RHP product certification scheme, the RvA conducts a rigorous assessment. Additionally, the RvA evaluates the certification bodies on the working methods they apply.

Thanks to international accreditation standards, products, services, and organisations worldwide are assessed in a consistent manner. This contributes to the international recognition and acceptance of, for example, certifications. Furthermore, accreditation of a quality mark strengthens confidence for the future.