Abu Dhabi – MENA Herald: The Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC), the entity responsible for developing quality infrastructure and raising awareness on quality standards in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, has taken part in a series of conferences and workshops to highlight its product certification schemes that aim to drive positive changes in the emirate’s built environment.
Providing participants with an in-depth description of the certification process and requirements for each scheme, the workshops also highlighted how certification of products provides benefits to overall infrastructure quality and energy efficiency in the Emirate. Products covered by the schemes included exterior LED lighting, polyethylene plastic pipes for water and gas distribution, healthy dairy and bakery products and construction products which meet the requirements of the Estidama sustainable building rating system.
Developed in consultation with regulators and industry professionals, the QCC’s Exterior LED Luminaire Certification Scheme enables manufacturers and suppliers of exterior LED lighting fixtures to obtain certification of products that meet relevant quality, safety and performance standards in line with the requirements of the Abu Dhabi Emirate. Products that achieve the QCC certification, through formal evaluation against the scheme criteria, are issued a certificate of conformity and are licensed to carry the Environmental Performance Trustmark issued by the QCC in product promotion.
At the Middle East Smart Lighting and Energy Summit, the QCC experts presented and analyzed the extent of compliance by the current certification applicants with the various requirements of the scheme, including photometry, mechanical strength, safety and efficacy. In addition, findings from the QCC market research and testing of exterior LED luminaires sold in Abu Dhabi were presented, and the implications and recommendations from this research for the next update to the certification scheme were discussed.
Mohammed Helal Al Balooshi, Marketing & Communications Acting Director at Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC), said: “The QCC offers a number of product certification schemes that define the requirements and guidelines stipulated by Emirate regulators and designed to create a solid reference for the suppliers of construction products. The schemes articulate our priority to improve the overall understanding of the importance of quality in the industry, and the importance of using energy-efficient products in the Emirate which will translate to significant savings in energy and maintenance costs. These schemes go a long way towards promoting innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing standards and setting specific quality goals for the industry.”
He added: “At the QCC, we leverage our participation in different events to promote awareness about the importance of improving the quality and environmental performance of the built environment through product certification. Towards this priority, we work closely with the manufacturers and suppliers of different products to enable them apply for the Environmental Performance Trustmark, which allows them to present proof of meeting standards in terms of product safety, energy savings and quality.”
Launched in 2013, the QCC’s Exterior LED Luminaire Certification Scheme covers multiple aspects of design, manufacturing, installation, and energy efficiency of street lighting fixtures, roadway tunnel light fixtures, general column fixtures, bollards, in-ground (buried) fixtures, floodlights, sports application floodlights, bulkheads, underwater fixtures and hazardous area luminaires.
The QCC also hosted a workshop at the Big 5 Dubai to highlight the Abu Dhabi Government programs and policies related to quality and sustainability. This included the latest updates on the QCC's product certification activities supporting Estidama such as insulation, glazing systems, solar water heating systems and air conditioning schemes, aimed at improving the environmental performance of built environment.
Additionally, a presentation was provided by the QCC experts at the Gulf Plastic Pipes Academy International Conference outlining the requirements for the certification of plastic pipes used for distribution and interior plumbing applications. These presentations were aimed at supporting the construction and plumbing industries by enhancing the understanding of suppliers and manufacturers of Abu Dhabi regulators quality and conformity requirements and assisting them in attaining the relevant product certifications.
At the recently concluded SIAL Middle East, the QCC delivered a presentation on the Weqaya Certification Scheme, developed in collaboration with the Health Authority Abu Dhabi, to outline the requirements of the scheme related to healthy dairy and bakery products. The certification scheme testifies that products that carry Weqaya logo satisfy healthy nutritional requirements and are prepared in an appropriate and hygienic manner including using better choices of ingredients for different age groups and children aged three years and above.
The Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council was established in 2009 to raise the quality of the Emirate’s exports and locally traded products, while protecting the interests of consumers and supporting the UAE’s competitive economy. This is achieved through empowering regulators to establish and implement product safety, legal metrology and certification schemes. The QCC also sets out guidelines and benchmarks to identify and verify that the products manufactured and traded in Abu Dhabi conform to the highest quality standards.