Since 1954 Kitemark House, home of the BSI Kitemark™, has stood strong as hundreds of thousands of products have gone through its doors to be tested to the highest level; those that meet our very stringent requirements achieve the BSI Kitemark.
The BSI Kitemark is one of Britain’s most important and recognized consumer quality marks. Recognized by over 72% of British consumers it provides a clear and independent confirmation of quality, safety and trust.
As part of its continued commitment to the future of the Kitemark, BSI has completed an investment of over £3 million in new advanced testing facilities in Hemel Hempstead. Here many products from ladders and windows to safety helmets and respiratory equipment have been tested and are still assessed and Kitemarked today. Changes to standards and innovation in product design mean that the laboratories have developed to include new tests and schemes enabling manufacturers to bring product to market as quickly as possible.
Evolution is survival of the fittest and Kitemark has never stood still, it has evolved with the changes of the times and grown from products to services. From testing physical products such as riding hats, respiratory breathing equipment, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, today the newest Kitemark schemes help consumers identify websites or apps they can trust and, help banking customers quickly and easily identify financial products they can trust to meet their essential needs.
Maureen Sumner Smith, UK Managing Director at BSI said: “The investment demonstrates our on-going commitment to BSI Kitemark and to growing our product certification business. The majority of this multi-million pound investment has centred on installing state of the art technology and improving our facilities to allow customers to see for themselves the rigorous testing their products go through.
“The future of the BSI Kitemark is an exciting one. It has a long established history of reassuring consumers that products or services can be trusted and the latest Kitemark developments ensure that it continues to be relevant to the needs of consumers going forward.”