ICC encourages companies to use digital certificates of origin

Christian Eybye

Marketing employee

The digitization of certificates makes exports more efficient

ICC (International Chamber of Commerce) is a big advocate for the digitization of export certificates. They emphasize that large parts of the trade world are already digitized. They believe therefore it is important that certificate handling follows the same direction.

According to the ICC, digital certificates of origin (CoOs) contribute significantly to a more secure international export environment. The digital certificates are already issued by countless ​​chambers of commerce around the world. ICC also explains that you save both time and money by making digital certificates of origin.

The ICC’s authority in international trade is indisputable. Therefore, it gives extra weight when they recommend digital CoOs. On their website they specify:

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“It is in the best interest of all chambers of commerce to seek out the possibility of using digital certificates of origin. If the Chamber of Commerce's exporters have access to the internet, there is no reason not to use the digital certificates”
ABOUT ICC

The ICC (International Chamber of Commerce) is the parent organization for the world’s chambers of commerce. The Danish chambers of commerce thus work under the ICC and the rules established by the international chamber of commerce.

The ICC represents millions of companies worldwide, and works, among other things, to promote international trade. It is an interest organization, which is there to make everyday life easier for its members. In recent years, it has been working hard to encourage its members to use digital certificates of origin. It is in the companies’ best interest to digitize their export.

eCO Task Force - ICC's own special unit

ICC has established a special unit, the eCO Task Force, which is in charge with increasing the acceptance of digital certificates of origin around the world. The International Chamber of Commerce is aware that it requires radical actions to convince the whole world to switch to digital certificates. The eCO Task Force must therefore manage all activities and preparations for the digital certificates of origin.

There is no doubt that digital CoOs are high on the agenda with the international chamber of commerce. The development in the use of digital certificates also shows that digitization is the future. More and more countries are embracing the digital wave, and in some cases the physical certificates have been entirely removed.

The ICC has the interests of companies in mind

The ICC is a major advocate for digital certificates of origin. It is also important to point out that the organization does not make money from the promotion of the digital approach.

ICC is an interest organization that looks after its members’ commercial interests. Its members are the local chambers of commerce, and all the export companies affiliated with the chambers. Therefore, ICC looks after the interests of both the chambers of commerce and the companies affiliated.

The digital CoO is advantageous for the export companies. It allows them to streamline their processes and save a lot of time and money. It is mainly in the interests of companies to achieve these benefits. That is why ICC chooses to use a lot of funds to spread awareness on the digital approach. However, they speak directly to the chambers of commerce, as it is them who issue the digital certificates of origin to the companies.

The Danish chambers of commerce are already on trend

Denmark is a big actor in the digital world, and this is a massive advantage for the Danish export companies. This means that it is extremely easy to get started with creating digital certificates.

In Denmark, digital certificates of origin are already issued. They are issued by the Danish chambers of commerce, which collaborate with ClearView Trade. This means you can have digital certificates of origin issued by:

The certificates are issued via a digital platform that we have developed and made available to the chambers of commerce. In addition to digital certificates of origin, you can as well create all your other certificates and documents digitally on the platform. You can actually streamline your entire workflow. Read more here.

ICC's 8 reasons to switch to digital certificates of origin

There are many advantages of the digital certificates. ICC has made a list of the most important points that explain why the digital COO is the future of the export industry. The list emphasizes time savings and efficiency, as these are the biggest benefits of using the digital certificates:

  1. Digital certificates of origin are more secure than physical certificates, as recipients and authorities can verify the digital certificate online

     

  2. Digital CoOs save time for the chambers of commerce’s customers

     

  3. The companies avoid spending money and time on transporting physical certificates to the chambers of commerce’s offices for approval

     

  4. The digital issuance of the certificate is more efficient and faster for the chambers of commerce – they can approve a certificate in a few minutes

     

  5. Digital CoOs improve your work environment by reducing the need to store certificates and certificate paper

     

  6. The use of digital certificates of origin increases the consistency of your applications – resulting in fewer rejections

     

  7. The digital certificates of origin offer live tracking of your online application, as well as digital notifications on your application status

     

  8. The digital CoOs have links for LC approval at the banks, as well as direct link that the customs offices can use to approve the certificate much faster

If you want to read the ICC’s original presentation of the list, you can find it here.

ICC uses a unique control system to verify digital certificates of origin

It is much more secure to use digital certificates of origin. They can be verified in a very short time. Security is at the top of ICC’s agenda, which is why they have developed a special system that is used to verify digital certificates of origin. The system can be accessed via the ICC’s website. Therefore, it takes no time for chambers of commerce, customs authorities and other parties to log into the system. From there, they can enter information about the certificate in question, after which the system confirms its authenticity.

The system was created in 2013 and can be found here: Certificates of Origin verification website.

The purpose of the system is to prevent cheating with CoOs. Due to the digital format, it has never been easier for the ICC and the authorities to check the certificates of origin. It is virtually impossible to forge the digital certificate of origin. Both unique QR codes, optical watermarks and digital stamps are applied to the digital certificates.

 

The website is also used to keep track on all the certificates of origin issued by ICC’s members. The authorities spend therefore an incredible amount of energy on checking and validating all the digital CoOs. Therefore, it is also much safer to have the certificates issued digitally.

Digital certificates of origin are accepted worldwide

Some companies are afraid that the digital certificates of origin will not be accepted in the recipient country. However, the ICC confirms that the digital certificates are accepted worldwide, and that there is a lot of misinformation around the subject.

The International Chamber of Commerce uses the Netherlands as an example. The Netherlands has completely removed physical certificates of origin, and therefore only issue digital certificates:

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"In the Netherlands, for example, over 2 million digital certificates of origin have been issued without problems to recipient countries worldwide"

The Netherlands is the definitive proof that digital certificates of origin are the future. It works just as planned, and makes it much easier for companies to handle their export processes.

If you want to start digitizing your exports, we suggest you start here. There are many ways to streamline your business, and the digital certificates of origin are just the beginning.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christian conveys content so that it can be understood.

Christian Eybye

Marketing employee

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