Kiwa Stories - Articles

Kiwa Group member PVEL, short for PV Evolution Labs, has made it its mission ‘to support the worldwide PV buyer community by generating data that accelerates adoption of solar technology’. The recently published 2023 PV Module Reliability Scorecard is one more example of how PVEL is delivering on that mission.

Cermaq Norway has had a taste of the advantage of coordinating certification audits. That is why they are now looking at the possibility of one common Multi Site certificate for ASC on all their fish farms.

Built on strong SaaS expertise, Kiwa Comply™ saves time and streamlines processes with its extensive guidance material and connections between requirements. It simplifies documentation, enhances consistency, and facilitates information maintenance, offering a customer-oriented approach to building and maintaining quality systems.

Wind turbine inspection is important to ensure their smooth and efficient operation. You have to prevent blade erosion; the surface ages bit by bit, and as a result, over a turbine’s lifetime, less and less energy is generated.

Using a new tool from Vinçotte, asset managers will be able to collate and visualize their data, making it more manageable and actionable. The Virtual Inspection Administration (ViA) platform was designed to visualize data from remote visual inspection (RVI) techniques, including those using drones, remote cameras, endoscopes and crawlers.

With the Safety Culture Ladder (SCL) organizations can gradually increase their employees' safety awareness and reduce the number of accidents in the workplace. This is still necessary, even in civil engineering, where Dutch infrastructure specialist Van Vulpen is active. The company has been certified at SCL level 4 for several years. Jaco van der Ree, a safety expert at Van Vulpen, explains more about it.

Gratanglaks, a Norwegian salmon farming company, obtained ASC Salmon Standard certification with Kiwa's help, ensuring sustainable and environmentally responsible salmon farming. With over 2,000 ASC-certified farms globally, ASC is the leading aquaculture certification scheme, guaranteeing eco-friendly and socially responsible products. Learn more about Gratanglaks and the ASC certification.

World Water Day 2023 focuses on accelerating progress towards universal access to safe water and sanitation. Kiwa, an independent third party, is developing innovative solutions to improve water efficiency, safeguard supply, ensure water quality and support waste treatment to work towards SDG 6. Take personal action and partner with organizations committed to sustainable development to solve the water and sanitation crisis.

Hydroelectric plants produce 17 percent of the world’s energy. These systems rely on the environment – our waterways and surrounding areas – to function. ISO 14001 environmental management certification can support continuous improvement and show a commitment to the environment.

Gender equality remains one of the world’s biggest challenges. At Kiwa, we are committed to closing the gaps and improving gender equality. To mark International Women’s Day 2023, we spoke to four inspiring Kiwa women about their roles and career experiences and their advice to other women considering a similar career.

Pests can spread throughout a facility very quickly if not managed effectively. They can cause unsanitary issues, leading to legal action or public health concerns. Taking preventative action against pest damage is pragmatic, diligent and much more cost effective in both time and money – we can help you implement this.

Kiwa developed the Safe Social Climate label, designed to combat cross-border behaviour at sports clubs. In November 2022, Kiwa and the KNVB, the Royal Dutch Football Association, signed a three-year agreement to include the label in the licence requirements for professional football.

Information security is a major consideration for organisations around the world. Fortunately, the ISO/IEC 27000 family of standards is here to help to better secure corporate information assets. In 2022, ISO 27001 and its extension 27002 are subject to change. Marjolein Veenstra from Kiwa knows all about these standards and helps our customers on their journey towards continuous improvement of their information security.

Cultural heritage is an important but often overlooked field when it comes to inspection and certification. Kiwa’s Building and Civil Engineering division helps clients maintain monuments by offering restoration services, including certification covering a range of materials.

As of January 1, 2023, the new version of GLOBALG.A.P. Chain of Custody Standard (CoC) v 6.1, will come into force. The GLOBALG.A.P. Advisory Board opted to strengthen the GLOBALG.A.P. system because food fraud and integrity issues are presenting a growing challenge for the food sector.

Huge numbers of medical devices manufacturers will have to comply to the Medical Devices Regulation (MDR) by May 2024 to be able to market their products in Europe. Kiwa helps clients throughout Europe, and beyond, with this challenge.