Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC)

What Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) does

Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) is a non-profit incorporated association and the Global ACI-recognized regional accreditation cooperation for the Asia Pacific region. It was established on 1 January 2019 through the amalgamation of the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC, founded 1992) and the Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC, founded 1995), headquartered in South Turramurra, Sydney, Australia, and is described by its own recognition as the largest recognized regional accreditation cooperation in the world.

APAC's core service is the APAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA), which facilitates acceptance of accredited conformity assessment results across the region under the 'tested/inspected/certified once, accepted everywhere' principle, based on intensive peer evaluation of accreditation bodies at maximum 4-year intervals against ISO/IEC 17011. As of September 2025, 63 Full Member MRA signatories across 33 economies cover 82,226 calibration and testing (ISO/IEC 17025), medical testing (ISO 15189), inspection (ISO/IEC 17020), proficiency testing (ISO/IEC 17043), reference materials (ISO 17034), and biobanking (ISO 20387) scopes, plus 8,225 certification (ISO/IEC 17065, ISO/IEC 17021-1, ISO/IEC 17024, ISO/IEC 17029, ISO 14065) scopes. The organization supports this MRA through ten publication series (GOV, MS, MTG, PER, FIN, MRA, CBC, COM, TEC0, TEC1, TEC2), the APAC Knowledge Centre e-learning platform hosted on Teachable, in-person training courses, and recognition programs including APAC Life-Time Achievement, Technical Excellence, Organizational Recognition, and general APAC Awards.

APAC's revenue model is membership-fee based (Full, Associate, and Affiliate members under document APAC FFIN-001), supplemented by capacity building and training income delivered through the APAC Knowledge Centre and in-person events hosted by members, plus documented capacity building funding flows (CBC-001 / FIN-002). The organization is governed by its members through an Executive Committee and an MRA Council, with a small secretariat of 9 employees. APAC maintains formal cooperation with other regional accreditation cooperations (EA, IAAC, AFRAC, ARAC, SADCA), international bodies (Global ACI, formerly IAF and ILAC), and sits as one of four APEC Specialist Regional Bodies (SRBs) alongside APMP, APLMF, and PASC.

Name

Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC)

Legal name

Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated

Website

https://apac-accreditation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

APAC is the Global ACI-recognized regional accreditation cooperation for Asia Pacific, managing the APAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement so that conformity assessment results accredited by its 63 Full Members across 33 economies are mutually accepted across the region. Established in 2019 from APLAC and PAC, it operates as a non-profit membership organization funded by dues, training, and capacity-building activities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Accreditation Services

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Regulatory Harmonization & Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) (BPADANAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Accreditation Standards, Benchmarking & Framework Organizations (EDADACAJ)

Keywords

• Accreditation services
• Conformity assessment
• Mutual recognition arrangement
• Peer evaluation
• Accreditation body standards

Headquarters

HQ city

South Turramurra

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: APAC generates revenue through membership fees from its Full Members, Associate Members, and Affiliates. Fee structures are defined in APAC FFIN-001 Membership Fees document. Members commit to fulfilling requirements of the APAC Constitution and Regulations.
2. Capacity Building and Training: APAC provides capacity building and training opportunities on accreditation through the APAC Knowledge Centre (accreditation.teachable.com). Training courses are delivered in-person and cover specific accreditation standards (e.g., ISO/IEC 17024, ISO/IEC 17021 series). Events are often hosted by member accreditation bodies.
3. Capacity Building Funding: APAC provides funding to members for capacity building activities as documented in APAC CBC-001 Capacity Building Activities and Funding. APAC also receives requests for funding (APAC FIN-002) to support member development and training.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

APAC operates the APAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA), under which 63 Full Member accreditation bodies across 33 economies peer-evaluate each other against ISO/IEC 17011 and related standards to enable mutual acceptance of accredited conformity assessment results (test reports, inspection reports, certifications) across the Asia Pacific region. It supports this core arrangement with membership tiers (Full, Associate, Affiliate), publication series covering governance and technical guidance, training and capacity-building programs, and the APAC Knowledge Centre e-learning platform.

Product overview

APAC operates as a unified platform for managing the APAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA), the primary service that facilitates mutual recognition of accreditation among bodies across the Asia Pacific region. The organization provides a comprehensive portfolio of publication series (GOV, MS, MTG, PER, FIN, MRA, CBC, COM, TEC0, TEC1, TEC2) that serve as guidance documents, procedures, and standards for accreditation activities. Supporting the MRA are capacity building initiatives including the APAC Knowledge Centre e-learning platform and in-person training courses on various accreditation standards. Additional services include the APAC Awards recognition program and Proficiency Testing Programs coordinated through member accreditation bodies. The publication series collectively cover governance, management systems, technical guidance for biobanks/calibration/testing/inspection/certification, and communications materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• APAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) The APAC MRA is the primary service through which accreditation bodies in the Asia Pacific region peer-evaluate each other against ISO/IEC 17011 and related conformity assessment standards, enabling mutual acceptance of accredited testing, calibration, inspection, certification, medical testing, biobanking, proficiency testing, reference material production, and validation/verification results across signatory economies.
• APAC Knowledge Centre An e-learning and training platform delivering self-directed courses, modules, and webinars on accreditation topics (e.g., ISO/IEC 17024, ISO/IEC 17021, ISO 15189) to APAC Member personnel, assessors, accreditation scheme developers, and the public.
• Accreditation of Person Certification Training (ISO/IEC 17024)

Quantifiable outcome

• 82,226 accredited scopes of calibration and testing (ISO/IEC 17025), medical testing (ISO 15189), inspection (ISO/IEC 17020), proficiency testing (ISO/IEC 17043), reference materials (ISO 17034), and biobanking (ISO 20387) as of September 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Accreditation Forum (IAF)coreOthersIAF is the international body that develops and maintains the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) for certification and validation/verification bodies. APAC is a recognized regional cooperation under the Global ACI which supersedes IAF. APAC aligns its requirements with IAF mandatory documents (e.g., IAF MD 4, MD 7, MD 12, MD 25) for certification body accreditation.
• International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC)coreOthersILAC is the international body for laboratory and inspection body accreditation. On 1 January 2026, Global ACI took over IAF and ILAC activities. APAC aligns its requirements with ILAC guidelines and contributes to the ILAC MRA framework through Global ACI recognition.
• European Cooperation for Accreditation (EA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEA is the European regional accreditation cooperation. APAC collaborates with EA on harmonization of accreditation practices and peer evaluation approaches between regions.
• InterAmerican Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIAAC is the regional accreditation cooperation for the Americas. Formalized through an MOU. APAC and IAAC cooperate on mutual recognition and harmonization of accreditation practices across regions.
• Southern African Development Community for Accreditation (SADCA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSADCA is the regional accreditation cooperation for Southern Africa. APAC maintains a working relationship for mutual recognition and best practice sharing.
• African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFRAC is the African regional accreditation cooperation. Formalized through an MOU. APAC and AFRAC cooperate on capacity building and harmonization of accreditation practices.
• Arab Accreditation Cooperation (ARAC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerARAC is the Arab regional accreditation cooperation. Formalized through an MOU. APAC and ARAC collaborate on mutual recognition and accreditation harmonization.
• Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPEC is one of four APEC Specialist Regional Bodies (SRBs) alongside APMP, APLMF, and PASC. APAC supports the APEC Subcommittee on Standards and Conformance. SRBs represent the measurement, standards, and conformity assessment infrastructure across the APEC region.
• Asia Pacific Metrology Programme (APMP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPMP is one of the four APEC Specialist Regional Bodies (SRBs). Formalized through an MOU. APMP and APAC collaborate on metrology and accreditation to support measurement traceability and conformity assessment across the APEC region.
• Asia Pacific Legal Metrology Forum (APLMF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPLMF is one of the four APEC Specialist Regional Bodies (SRBs). APAC collaborates with APLMF on legal metrology and conformity assessment to support trade facilitation across the APEC region.
• Pacific Area Standards Congress (PASC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPASC is one of the four APEC Specialist Regional Bodies (SRBs). PASC and APAC work together on standards and conformance issues across the Pacific region.
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)coreTechnology or IntegrationISO produces the international standards that form the basis of APAC's accreditation frameworks, including ISO/IEC 17011 (accreditation bodies), ISO/IEC 17025 (testing/calibration), ISO 15189 (medical testing), ISO/IEC 17020 (inspection), ISO/IEC 17021 (management systems certification), ISO/IEC 17024 (persons certification), ISO/IEC 17065 (product certification), ISO/IEC 17029 (validation/verification), ISO/IEC 17043 (proficiency testing), ISO 17034 (reference materials), and ISO 20387 (biobanking).
• World Trade Organisation (WTO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWTO supports international trade facilitation, which is the core purpose of APAC's MRA. APAC's 'tested/inspected/certified once, accepted everywhere' principle directly supports WTO's trade facilitation goals under the TBT Agreement.
• Global Accreditation Cooperation IncorporatedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOn 1 January 2026, Global ACI became operational and took over activities previously conducted by IAF and ILAC. APAC is the Global ACI recognized regional accreditation cooperation for the Asia Pacific region and the largest recognized regional cooperation in the world. Most APAC MRA signatories are also recognized under the Global ACI MRA.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Pacific Area Standards Congress (PASC): PASC is one of the four APEC Specialist Regional Bodies, focused on standards rather than accreditation. APAC and PASC work together on standards and conformance issues across the Pacific, making PASC an enabling/adjacent peer.
• Asia Pacific Metrology Programme (APMP): APMP is the sister APEC Specialist Regional Body focused on metrology rather than accreditation. APAC and APMP collaborate on measurement traceability and conformity assessment, making APMP an adjacent infrastructure peer rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• International Accreditation Forum (IAF): IAF was the international body managing the IAF MLA for certification and validation/verification bodies, now superseded by Global ACI. APAC aligns its requirements with IAF mandatory documents and contributed to the IAF MLA framework.
• International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC): ILAC was the international body for laboratory and inspection body accreditation, now superseded by Global ACI. APAC aligns its requirements with ILAC guidelines and contributed to the ILAC MRA framework.
• Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated (Global ACI): Global ACI became operational on 1 January 2026 and is the global apex body that took over IAF and ILAC functions; it formally recognizes APAC as the regional cooperation for Asia Pacific, making it the higher-level umbrella over APAC's MRA.

Direct peers

• InterAmerican Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC): IAAC is the regional accreditation cooperation for the Americas and a direct peer of APAC, operating under a formalized MOU to coordinate mutual recognition and harmonization of accreditation practices across the Western Hemisphere.
• European Cooperation for Accreditation (EA): EA is the regional accreditation cooperation for Europe and APAC's closest functional analogue, operating a similar MRA/MLA framework for mutual recognition of accredited conformity assessment results across European economies. APAC explicitly collaborates with EA on harmonization of accreditation practices and peer evaluation approaches.
• Arab Accreditation Cooperation (ARAC): ARAC is the regional accreditation cooperation for Arab states and a direct peer of APAC, collaborating on mutual recognition and accreditation harmonization under a formalized MOU.
• African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC): AFRAC is the regional accreditation cooperation for Africa, operating under an MOU with APAC to cooperate on capacity building and harmonization of accreditation practices across African economies.
• Southern African Development Community for Accreditation (SADCA): SADCA is the regional accreditation cooperation for Southern Africa. APAC maintains a working relationship for mutual recognition and best practice sharing, making it a structural peer in the global accreditation ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/apac-accreditation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC)