Accreditation Mark Usage Guide

The EGAC accreditation symbol and the IAF MLA mark belong to CAS as the accredited certification body. They certify that CAS is accredited and internationally recognised — so only CAS may display them, on the certificates CAS issues and on CAS’s own materials. Certified clients must never place the EGAC or IAF artwork on their own websites, packaging, stationery or marketing.

When CAS certifies your management system, the way you show that your certification is accredited is through the CAS certification mark — the per-scheme CAS mark issued to you with your certificate. This guide explains the EGAC and IAF marks (so you can recognise them and understand the recognition behind your certificate); the rules for the mark you may use live on the Certification Mark page.

An accredited CAS certificate involves three marks. They are not interchangeable, and they do not all belong to you: one is yours to use, and two are CAS’s accreditation marks that only CAS may display.

2.1 The CAS certification mark — yours to use

Issued by CAS Conformity Assessment Services to you, the certified client. It demonstrates that your management system has been audited and certified by CAS against the named ISO standard, and it is the only mark you display on your own materials. The CAS mark must always carry the certificate number and the standard reference (e.g. CAS — ISO 9001:2015 — Cert. No. CAS-9001-EG-XXXX). Its full rules are on the Certification Mark page.

2.2 The EGAC accreditation mark — CAS-only

Issued by the Egyptian Accreditation Council and owned by CAS as the accredited body. It demonstrates that CAS itself is accredited by the national accreditation body to perform the certification audit. CAS places it on the certificates it issues within EGAC Schedule 012418B (six standards: ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, 22000, 50001, 22301). Clients must not reproduce the EGAC mark on their own websites, packaging or marketing.

2.3 The IAF MLA mark — CAS-only

Issued by the International Accreditation Forum and, like the EGAC mark, a CAS accreditation mark. It demonstrates international mutual recognition through the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement. CAS may show it (together with the EGAC mark) only for certificates whose standard is within the IAF MLA scope: QMS, EMS, OHSMS, FSMS, and EnMS. BCMS (ISO 22301) is currently outside the IAF MLA — the IAF MLA mark is not used on ISO 22301. As with the EGAC mark, clients must not reproduce the IAF MLA mark.

The placements below govern the CAS certification mark — the only mark you put on your own materials. The EGAC and IAF marks are not part of this: as a client you never place them anywhere.

For products and packaging, ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 §8.3.3 is explicit: marks for management system certification must not appear on products, on product packaging, in any way that may be interpreted as denoting product conformity. If your management system covers manufacturing, the certificate covers your processes, not the goods that come off the line.

These rules apply to the CAS certification mark you display. (CAS applies the equivalent rules to the EGAC and IAF marks on the certificates it issues.)

• Minimum size: the CAS mark must remain legible — minimum digital width 80 px, minimum print width 18 mm.
• Aspect ratio: always preserved. The mark may be scaled proportionally up or down but never stretched, skewed, rotated, or reflected.
• Clear space: a clear margin equal to the height of the smallest letter in the mark must be maintained on all sides.
• Colour: use only the official colour and monochrome versions supplied by CAS. Do not recolour. On dark backgrounds, use the negative (white) version.
• Always with reference text: certificate number, standard reference, and CAS as the issuing CB must be shown adjacent to the mark.

Mark usage rights end immediately when a certificate is suspended, withdrawn, or expires. This is a contractual obligation under your certification agreement and a regulatory obligation under ISO/IEC 17021-1.

5.1 On suspension

CAS will notify the client in writing of suspension and the reason. From the date of suspension, the client must:

• Stop all use of the CAS certification mark in new materials.
• Stop referring to the certification in advertising, marketing, and any new public-facing content.
• If suspension is lifted within the agreed remediation window, use of the mark may resume on the date of reinstatement.

5.2 On withdrawal or expiry

Withdrawal is permanent for that certificate. From the effective date, the client must:

• Remove the CAS certification mark from website, brochures, packaging, and stationery.
• Cease referring to the certification in any form.
• Return any printed certificates to CAS upon request.
• Not represent the organisation as certified by CAS, or as covered by CAS’s EGAC/IAF accreditation, in any future communication relating to the withdrawn certificate.

CAS issues certain certificates without third-party accreditation — for standards or schemes outside EGAC Schedule 012418B (e.g. ISO 13485, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO 37001, and others). These certificates display the CAS mark only.

• The CAS certification mark may be used in line with sections 3 and 4 above (the EGAC and IAF marks are never used by a client, accredited scheme or not).
• A By-CAS certificate must not be presented as accredited, or as recognised under EGAC or the IAF.
• If the client also holds an EGAC-accredited CAS certificate for a different standard, the two scopes must be kept clearly distinguishable so that the accredited scope’s EGAC/IAF recognition cannot be misread as covering the non-accredited scope.

This is a transparency requirement under IAF MD 23:2023 (Control of Entities) — buyers reading a certified organisation’s materials must be able to tell, without ambiguity, which certificates are accredited and which are not.

CAS reviews mark usage during every surveillance and recertification audit. Findings are recorded in the audit report and may include observations, minor non-conformities, or major non-conformities depending on severity and history.

7.1 If you spot misuse by another organisation

If you encounter what looks like misuse of the CAS, EGAC, or IAF MLA marks — for example, a CAS mark on a product label, or a withdrawn certificate still being advertised — please report it via our Complaints & Appeals form or by email to info@cas.com.eg. CAS investigates every report in line with ISO/IEC 17021-1 §9.8.

7.2 If you are unsure how to apply the marks correctly

Before producing new printed materials or launching a new website, you may submit your draft to CAS for a no-cost mark-usage review. Email the draft to info@cas.com.eg with the subject line Mark usage review — [your organisation name]. CAS will respond within five business days.

The file you receive is the CAS certification mark for your scheme (for example QMS, EMS, OHSMS, FSMS, EnMS or BCMS) — not the EGAC or IAF artwork, which CAS does not release to clients. Authorised CAS-mark files are issued to each certified client at the time of certificate issuance, in colour and monochrome, with usage notes embedded in the package. The per-scheme CAS marks are previewed on the Certification Mark page.

If you need replacement files, contact CAS at info@cas.com.eg with your certificate number.