Testing and Qualification
The most common industry role is to provide products and services according to industry standards. In any industry some standards will be voluntary (which means that the industry practices self-regulation), or mandatory (which means that a government issues a regulation).
Every major consumer product industry has an associated trade organization whose duties include developing voluntary standards and promoting the industry. A trade association may also facilitate compliance testing or certification that a particular manufacturer's products meet certain standards. "Voluntary" standards may seem either optional or mandatory from the perspective of a manufacturer, and in many cases when an industry adopts a standard it puts pressure on all manufacturers to comply with the standard. Industry voluntary standards are typically minimal performance criteria with no reference to quality.



