The EQM is part of the UAE Product Certification Scheme developed by the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA) in accordance with international standards, according to the report.

The product certification scheme aims to ensure that products conform to specific standards and meet an independent assurance of quality and safety.

A number of local and international manufacturers have already begun enquiring and applying to the voluntary scheme in a bid to have their products designated with the EQM to attract local consumers and gain access to international markets, ESMA Deputy Director-general Mohamed Badri was quoted as saying.

"It's an acknowledgement of quality and a trade tool for manufacturers which will open the door to outside markets,"Badri added.

Around 15 percent of manufacturers are expected to apply for the EQM this year and this figure is expected to double in 2008, according to the ESMA.