What is ISO 9001?

ISO 9001 is a set of rules that companies follow to assure that they have the systems needed to meet their customers’ needs. It involves writing procedures, following them, and getting the same audited by an accredited registrar who after satisfying himself (by examining the systems) will certify that the required standards are being followed and will then grant certification.

What are the phases involved in getting ISO 9001 certification.

The phases of ISO 9001 certification consists of two parts i.e., documentation and certification. The documentation part can be done in house or by the help of a consultant. Normally every company takes the services of an experienced consultant to develop and introduce the system. The certification is done by an agency accredited in this regard. The certification agency normally divides into activities into two parts documentation review, which may be done with or without visits to your works and compliance audit that is conducted at your site.

What does it cost to get ISO 9001 certification?

This depends on several factors as size and complexity of operations, number of locations of plants, willingness of owners, type of standards to be implemented etc.

How long does it take to get ISO 9001 Certification.

Depending upon the commitment of the owner-managers, the time taken could be 1 to 3 months.

What is the validity period of ISO 9001 Certification.

An ISO certification is granted initially for a period of three years.

Is there any fine on non-compliance after obtaining ISO 9001 certification?

No there is no provision of any fine in such circumstances.

Advantages of ISO 9001

1. Passport for Global market.
2. Reflect Professionalism.
3. Create credibility among new business segment.
4. Improved quality, reduction in cost.
5. Clarity of responsibility and authority.
6. Better and defined system.
7. Consistent quality and performance.
8. Improved Cycle Time.
9. Structured work culture to drive the process of business.
10. Reduction of variation and waste in supply chain.

The ISO 14001 standards are designed to provide an internationally recognized framework for environmental management, measurement, evaluation and auditing. A system compliant to ISO14001 is a management system dedicated to manage the environmental issues of an organization.

A Certified Environmental Management System proves that the business is taking active steps to fulfill social & environmental responsibilities. Environmentally credible companies have a competitive edge in national and international markets. An “Environmental Management System” helps the organization to be in control of and successfully manage the most significant environmental aspects, e.g. emissions, waste-handling, utilize natural resources and energy-efficiency together with compliance to environmentalregulations.

Some of the benefits of the ISO14001 certification are in the following areas:

1. Improved corporate image
2. Strategic investment
3. Significant demonstration of management responsibilities & commitment to environmental concerns towards employees, stakeholders & society
4. Competitive advantage over international trade barriers
5. Compliance with concerned statutory & regulatory requirements
6. Tremendous increase in process yields
7. Help in converting by products and other waste into commercially valuable forms
8. Significantly reduced energy consumption, hazards and accidents Effectively manage the significant environmental aspects

Human life is precious and safety of personnel and interested parties is the responsibility of an organization.

ISO 45001 is a globally recognized standard for occupational health and safety management system and defines the health and labor protection system of an organization. An ISO 45001 certification establishes an organization’s commitment to provide a safe working environment to protect employees & other concerns. It aims at reducing and preventing accidents and accident related loss of life, equipment, time and damage to environment.

In providing a framework to ISO 45001, many Health & Safety issues are brought together into documented system. This enables the organization to formulate policy and objectives, taking into account legislative requirements, significant hazards and risks, related to occupational health & safety. With the resultant system in place, whether integrated or not, ensure that the tools for control exist; this provides peace of mind for senior management along with systems and procedures for staff & persons concerned and can reduce legal costs and working time loss.

Demonstrating the commitment to Occupational Health & Safety issues positively impact the company’s success and bring the following benefits:

1. Improvement in safety culture, increasing control of hazards
2. Improvement in the efficiency of the operations & consequent reduction in accidents & production time loss
3. Improvement in the security / quality of work places, employee morale and adherence to company values
4. Reduction in insurance premiums
5. Enhancement of corporate image
6. Demonstration of legal compliance

Sustainable fashion, ethical clothing, fair production have many meanings. The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) has a clearly defined set of criteria and is transparent.

GOTS is the worldwide leading textile processing standard for organic fibres, including ecological and social criteria, backed up by independent certification of the entire textile supply chain. GOTS certified final products may include fibre products, yarns, fabrics, clothes, home textiles, mattresses, personal hygiene products, as well as food contact textiles and more.

Having one common standard means textile processors and manufacturers can export their fabrics and garments with one organic certification that is accepted in all major markets. This transparency also gives consumers the power to choose truly organic products sourced from green supply chains.

The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) is a voluntary product standard for tracking and verifying the content of recycled materials in a final product. The standard applies to the full supply chain and addresses traceability, environmental principles, social requirements, chemical content and labeling. With GRS certification, you can communicate to customers your commitment to truth in materials and support for a circular economy that reduces waste by using it to make new products.

SA8000, or “Social Accountability 8000”, was developed to promote socially responsible business in all sectors around the globe. Rather than being a “sweatshop code” for customers to enforce upon their suppliers, SA8000 was developed to help socially responsible companies to measure and differentiate themselves from other companies operating with less than acceptable labour conditions. It sets out expectations regarding health and safety, child labour, forced labour, freedom of association, discrimination, disciplinary practices, working hours and compensation together with the management systems to deliver them.

SA8000 covers all the major labour rights issues contained in International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It also acknowledges the importance of compliance with locally applicable laws.

First published in 1997 and revised in 2001, SA8000 has been widely recognized as the most significant tool for bringing workers’ rights business practices into line with the values of society – a vital component of corporate reputation today.

The standard is broadly recognized by trade unions, government agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as one of the strongest workplace standards.

Organizations that have recognized SA8000 include the US State Department, the European Commission, the Tuscany Government, the Indian Ministry of Textiles, Business for Social Responsibility and Amnesty International.

The SA8000 standard and verification system is a credible, comprehensive and efficient tool for assuring humane workplaces because it includes:

1. A standard that covers all widely accepted international labor rights.
2. Factory-level management system requirement for ongoing compliance and improvement.
3. Independent, expert verification of compliance: Certification of facilities by auditing bodies accredited by SAI. SAI accreditation ensures that auditors have the procedures and resources needed to conduct thorough and objective audits. There are currently nine organizations accredited to do SA8000 certification.
4. Involvement by all stakeholders: Participation by all key sectors, including workers and trade unions, companies, socially responsible investors, nongovernmental organizations and government, in the SA8000 system. Such participation is required with the Advisory Board, drafting and revision of the standard and auditing system, conferences, training, and the complaints system.
5. Harnessing consumer and investor concern: The SA8000 Certification and Corporate Involvement Program help consumers and investors to identify and support companies that are committed to assuring human rights in the workplace SA8000 Standard Elements.

SEDEX (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange) is a global non-profit organisation that enables businesses to work together to better manage their social and environmental performance, and improve working conditions throughout the supply chain globally.

Founded in 2001 by a group of retailers, it aims to simplify the path burdening the suppliers by providing a web-based database, which enables suppliers to share ethical data, such as ethical audit reports, with their customers. Likewise, customers can keep track of their suppliers and view the ethical reports shared with them.

For a standardized framework of audits, SEDEX uses its own social auditing methodology named SMETA (SEDEX Members Ethical Trade Audit). SMETA enables businesses to assess their sites and suppliers to understand working conditions in their supply chain. During an audit the site is assessed based on the organization’s standards of labor, health and safety, environment and business ethics. These 4 factors are considered the foundational elements of SEDEX.

There are 2 types of audits one can opt for under SMETA: 2 Pillar Audit & 4 Pillar Audit

A SMETA-2 Pillar Audit comprises of

1. Labour Standards
2. Health and Safety

A SMETA-4 Pillar audit comprises of

1. Labour Standards
2. Health and Safety
3. Environment Ethics (detailed)
4. Business Ethics

All four pillars count on legal requirements, international standards and good practice. The added 2 pillars may not be required by all, hence it is very crucial for the auditors to know when these additional modules are required.

There are 3 categories of SEDEX memberships which one can opt for, based on their functioning:

• 1. Buyer (A) membership is for organizations that only wish to view and run reports on their supply chain.
• 2. Buyer/Supplier (AB) membership is for organizations that wish to view and run reports on their supply chain and share information with their customers.
• 3. Supplier (B) membership is for organizations that wish to share information with their customers.