Coronavirus: effects of the pandemic on conformity assessment

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic overwhelmed our country at the beginning of the year and its effects on the economy were particularly severe. In a context of great uncertainty, the forecasts for the 2020 GDP in the government’s updated economic/financial statement in October are for a contraction of 9% which would recover only after several years. The restrictions on economic activities introduced to combat the pandemic have had a strong effect on the dynamics of consumption and investment of businesses and households, impacting the finances of entire industries.

In order to analyze the effects of the pandemic on the conformity assessment market, last September Accredia, in collaboration with the German Federal Institute for Research and Testing of Materials (BAM), the Technische Universität of Berlin and the Fraunhofer Institute ISI, conducted a survey of accredited bodies and laboratories in Italy.