Source: Certdolomiti press office
CertDolomiti has been created, the immediate response of Certottica and Dolomiticert to the emergency of producers in the Veneto region, Italy, but also internationally, following Brexit.
Perhaps not everyone knows that after leaving the European Union, the British government imposed the UKCA marking for the marketing of products within the country, creating a lot of confusion among
manufacturers who export to the UK. Although it has been extended until 1 January 2023, there has been a rush to get products accredited to UKCA standards.
The request to set up a body in the UK has come primarily from sporting goods companies, and particularly from the world of motorcycling. In Italy, but especially in the Veneto region, there are
the world’s flagships for the production and marketing of motorbike clothing and protection. This has been followed by pressure from companies producing mountaineering articles, safety goggles and
visors, helmets and respirators. CertDolomiti Ltd., a newco of the two Longarone institutes based in Bristol, has been authorised by BEIS – the UK Department for Economic Development – to certify
UKCA and can now begin to meet the demands of companies.
To understand the value of the operation, we interviewed the President of CertDolomiti, Luca Businaro, a member of the Board of Directors of Certottica representing the Province of Belluno,
CEO of Novation Tech and Proboviro of Confindustria.
Mr Businaro, with the team made up of Tommaso Morandin – Commercial Manager of Dolomiticert and Director of CertDolomiti -, Laura Rossa of the Commercial Department of
Dolomiticert, Tiziana Gabas, Commercial Manager and Giorgio Sommariva, Technical Director, both of Certottica, have worked for several months to achieve this important goal.
Mr Businaro, what prompted you to create CertDolomiti?
CertDolomiti was born out of an evolution in the market and continuous research, which is typical of Certottica and Dolomiticert, aimed at constantly improving, but above all anticipating, the
services offered to clients. Noting the impact of Brexit, and the direct consequences that it has had on product certification, the idea of quickly creating a company in England was developed in
order to be able to provide a service in advance of potential competitors.
What are the company’s areas of action?
First and foremost, assistance to companies, not only Italian but also European, whose export market is England. I would like to point out that all of Europe exports to England, and Italy in
particular. From 1 January 2023, all products that must be certified will require dual certification. And so, alongside what companies claim in terms of CE certification, UKCA certification will be
required for marketing in the UK.
There are no Italian institutes that have this possibility, and we set up CertDolomiti precisely to be able to offer dual certification and to have a single point of contact: the group will be
able to meet the need for CE and UKCA certification in the field of sports or work safety, from garments to footwear.
What answers can a company like CertDolomiti provide compared to the British bodies?
We are an Italian company, with a totally different elasticity and flexibility in our approach to the market. Also, the main export market is England and not vice versa, so we can assist Italian
and European companies that export to England. We are not a local body that certifies to market outside the UK: we are in the reverse flow compared to the
We are in the reverse flow to UK bodies and for this reason the advantage is twofold.
Do you think further regulatory adjustments will be needed to meet the certification requirements of companies in the Veneto and Italy? I am thinking for example of developments in the Far East
and Russia.
Certainly, product certification is a constantly evolving market, and there is a sort of growing protectionism, first and foremost on the part of non-European countries, to try to make things
easier for local and national companies with respect to foreign companies exporting to target countries such as Russia and the Far East.
I don’t think we will quickly reach the same process that happened in England, where the British people and politicians chose to nationalise everything, and dual certification is the closest
example to us. Russia and the Far East have a number of international diplomats who have to move because the trade between the countries is very high, both in terms of imports and exports, and
therefore putting up a barrier like the British one, with double certification, could have serious negative consequences for local companies.
What is your suggestion to companies?
My suggestion is to take advantage of the enormous step forward made by the Certottica-Dolomiticert group by creating CertDolomiti: we are the only laboratory company in Italy that can issue
the double certification, doing everything “in house”. We already have a number of accredited certifications that cover just about every use of our products, so we have this competitive advantage
that must be sniffed out by companies that continue to innovate and export to the UK.
It is essential that we take this train: we make it available and we are ready to pick up all the customers who want to take them to England.
