With regards to certification, this is ‘the process of providing
documented assurance that a product, service or
organisation complies with a given standard’ (Font et al.,
2003:213). Black and Crabtree (2007:502) suggest a
more extensive definition,
[a] voluntary procedure, that sets, assesses, monitors, and gives written
assurance that a product, process, service, or management system conforms
to specific requirements and norms. A certification/awarding
body gives written assurance to the consumer and the industry in
general. The outcome of certification is a certificate and usually the use
of an ecolabel