4 questions for Lisa Balke, Consultant for RAL Quality Marks

Hello Mrs. Balke, please briefly introduce yourself!

I started working as a Consultant for RAL Quality Marks at RAL Deutsches Institut für Gütesicherung und Kennzeichnung e.V. back in 2019. My tasks are extremely varied and include helping to develop new RAL Quality Marks together with applicants through to providing advice to our existing Quality Assurance Associations. Our team now comprises three consultants – myself and my two colleagues Niklas Neureuther and Joachim Hauser – who are responsible for answering all enquiries about RAL Quality Marks.

You work together with new and existing Quality Assurance Associations every day. Are there some issues that are relevant for all of them?

Our Quality Assurance Associations are usually registered associations. As a result, we receive questions about association law on a frequent basis. We are also constantly asked for advice on filling positions on voluntary committees or boards because people are now less willing to take on these voluntary positions.
Naturally, we also receive questions about the approval and revision processes for RAL Quality Marks. Our Quality Assurance Associations are also extremely interested in the policy initiatives in the Green Deal. We provide advice on how to make products and services more environmentally friendly so that the Quality Assurance Associations can meet the high demands of clients and consumers.

How do companies come together as members of a Quality Assurance Association if an association has not yet been established in their sector?

The companies are usually already members of other associations or networks and get in touch with us when looking for a label to certify the high quality of their product or service. Many companies are already familiar with RAL Quality Marks on other products or services in their sector and thus already have a positive opinion of the RAL quality assurance system. Now and again, we are also contacted by individual companies who then seek other like-minded companies during the approval process.

What are the advantages associated with membership?

As members of a Quality Assurance Association, companies can help to shape their RAL Quality Mark. The membership meeting or AGM decides on all changes to the criteria for the RAL Quality Mark as the highest body in the Quality Assurance Association. The Quality Assurance Associations also act as networks in their sector in which companies can discuss and share their specialist knowledge and expertise. All members have the shared desire to differentiate themselves on the market due to the high quality and reliability of their products or services.

How do the Quality Assurance Associations exploit these advantages in their work? Do they have best practices?

We now have more than 120 Quality Assurance Associations and each one organises their day-to-day business in very different ways. Some Quality Assurance Associations use newsletters to inform their members about the latest news in their sector. For example, the Federal Compost Association publishes its own newsletter. Other Quality Assurance Associations are able to negotiate special conditions with manufactures or service providers due to their large number of members. Many Quality Assurance Associations use the annual membership meetings or AGMs as an opportunity to discuss the latest news, organise specialist talks and promote convivial cooperation amongst their members.