ICC Evaluation Service applauds United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement
Effective July 1, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), negotiated to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, officially entered into force. ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) certifies products in all three USMCA markets and will continue to offer evaluation services in North America under the agreement.
The new agreement is beneficial for North American workers and businesses by creating a more balanced, reciprocal trade that supports economic growth. The standards, conformity assessment and Good Regulatory Practices chapters of USMCA include stronger language that will aid in future bilateral and multilateral trade agreements.
In the area of conformity assessment, where accreditation is — and will continue to be — a government function in both Canada and Mexico, manufacturers will have the option of using ICC-ES. ICC-ES is accredited by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation and the ANSI National Accreditation Board, the Standards Council of Canada, and the EMA for Mexico with relevant scopes in all three countries.
U.S.-based building products manufacturers and standards developers should be encouraged by this increased harmonization in the area of standards to seek opportunities to access the construction sectors in Canada and Mexico. ICC-ES is available to help streamline the process and provide a one-stop-shop for testing, listing and evaluation service.
About the Author
The International Code Council is a nonprofit association that provides a wide range of building safety solutions, including product evaluation, accreditation, certification, codification and training. It develops model codes and standards used worldwide to construct safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures.
