The Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS) has constituted a task team that will monitor the use of its Quality Mark by manufacturers. The team has been constituted to conduct countrywide market surveillance to combat the increasing misuse of the quality mark by some manufacturers who have not undergone the procedures required for certification and have not obtained the certification from the Bureau, to apply the mark on their products. Additionally, the team will conduct surveillance to ensure that companies whose certification has been withdrawn do not continue to use the mark illegally. 

It has become apparent that some manufacturers have been wrongfully placing the ZABS quality mark on their products to deceive unsuspecting members of the public on the quality of their products, putting the credibility of the certification scheme into question. We have since published a full list of manufacturers and service providers who are duly certified in the press and on the ZABS website and any company not listed but has gone ahead to continue using the quality mark, is doing so illegally.

The misuse of the ZABS quality mark has taken different forms such as

• A manufacturer using the quality mark without being in possession of a valid certificate to use the mark.
• A manufacturer using the quality mark without undergoing the procedures required for certification
• A certificate that has expired, that has been withdrawn or was canceled by ZABS.
• A product that has been tested and a test report issued however claims are made that the product is certified and a mark is applied on the product.

In order to protect the public and maintain the credibility of the mark, the following has been resolved

1. Following the market surveillances, we will on a quarterly basis publish a list of companies that are not certified but misusing the quality mark.
2. Conduct mass sensitization on how to verify if a product is certified or not and the channels to use when reporting such products
3. Take action as appropriate on companies misusing the mark.

As an institution, we will not take kindly the improper use of the quality mark in the market and as such, the country wide market surveillances will give the Bureau a clear picture of what is pertaining on the ground and action taken to curb any further misuse.

Currently, the number of certified products stands at 642 which includes food and beverage products, construction materials, chemical and chemical products, engineering products, leather products to mention a few. A total of 32 companies have been certified to date under the management systems certification and 53 SME products under the Certified Local Supplier Scheme.