the brc an introduction to brc and the consumer product
TRANSCRIPT
The European R&TTE Directive
• Alan Binks• Technical Director, BABT• [email protected]
An Introduction to BRC and
The Consumer Product StandardPresented by Alan Binks
Technical Director, BABT
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Services to support BRC members & certificated suppliers
– Standards
– Training
– Events
– Supply services (e.g. post, legal )
The British Retail Consortium is the leading Trade Association
representing the vast majority of UK retailers
BRC Trading
The BRC
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• Background to the BRC
BRC is a trade organization representing members of the UK retailing sector. Limited by Guarantee Company
• Four Standards– Food Safety, Packaging, Storage and Distribution
• The Global Standard for Consumer Products
The standard was designed to be a common audit standard recognized by all members to reduce the cost of audits to members and suppliers. Ensures Safety, Legality and Quality of products but does not replace Legal obligations.
• Consumer Products
Only covers General consumer items and manufactured goods
• Current Status
Currently Issue 2A being revised for Issue 3 and linked to RILA
The Content
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Food
Packaging
Storage &
Distribution
Consumer Products
The BRC Global Standards
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• Requested by retailers to
– Reduce number of audits
– Cover their needs
– Remove competitive element from product safety
– Give a baseline measure
– Meet the need to demonstrate “due diligence”
Why BRC Standards?
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Why?
• To keep consumers safe & gain their trust
• To meet legal requirements
• To protect the brand
Consumer Products Safety & Quality Assurance
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WHY?
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Clause 2.3
Risk assessment
9 million recalled
33 serious injuries
– 2 deaths
12 yr old
swallowed 28
magnets
New technology
neodymium magnets –
hazard not assessed
Magnets
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One million plus
recalled
Finger tip
amputations
Faulty DesignClause 2.3
Risk assessment
Clause 6
Product conformity
Strollers
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Christmas lights , 30%
unsafe (EU report)
Poor construction and
components
Shoes
DMF Contaminant
107 recalls 2009
Freckle cream
Wrong formulation
4% mercury
88 recalls 2009
Clause 5
Product control
Clause 5
Chemical formulation
control
Clause 7
Process control
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Consumers complained ofhorrific burns fromnew leather sofas
• Packed with Dimethyl-Fumarate(DMF) to stop mould• The High Street stores have to pay more than £20m in compensation and
legal costs• Lawyers think 200,000 defective sofas may have been sold and many more
claimants may still exist• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7968867.stm
Toxic Sofas!
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• German Police hunt Super-Criminal for 16 years!• Woman suspected of six murders! • Police suspicions based identical female DNA found
at 40 crime scenes in Germany and Austria• After finding DNA at the murder of a 22-year old
Heilbronn policewoman in 2007, police offer €300,000 reward
• Now found that cotton swabs used to collect DNA were contaminated accidently by a woman worker at an unidentified factory in Bavaria
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7966641.stm
The Phantom of Heilbronn
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• Contaminated milk scandal in China
• China suspends US meat imports over illegal growth hormones
• Budweiser recalls unsafe beer bottles
• Coca-Cola company has withdrawn all its Belgian-produced drinks
• Sony recalls 440,000 Vaio laptops
• We can all play our part to help!
Other Incidents
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National Accreditation Body
Certification Body
Suppliers
The Standard
Accredited to
perform audits
Approves CB using
ISO Guide 65Audited by
Certification body
BRC approves CB’s
and auditors
The Certification Process
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All governed by agreed terms of reference
Governance & Strategy Committee
BRC members and international representatives
Define policy & oversee progress
Technical Advisory Committees
One for each Standard
• Retailers and other stakeholders
• Contribute to production & review of Standards
• Interpretation issues
• Review training materials
Certification Body Co-operation groups
Liaison between CB’s and BRC on technical issues
& progressing implementation
BRC Technical team
Organisation of BRC Global Standards
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• For retailers – by retailers & other stakeholders
• Work began 1996 - Food published 1998
• More than 13,000 certificated companies
• Truly global
– used in 90 countries
– first Standard to be benchmarked by GFSI
– developing & expanding in N. America
• A requirement to supply for most UK retailers
• Not only for BRC members but retailers around the world
The BRC Global Standards
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Retailers accepting the BRC Global Standard for Consumer Products
• Ahold• Asda• B&Q• Booker• The Co-operative• Home Retail Group (Argos and Homebase)• John Lewis• Makro• Metro AG• J Sainsbury plc• Waitrose
Consumer Products
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• Started in response to European safety requirements for Consumer Goods– General Product Safety Directive 2001/95
• Issue 1, 2003 limited success– Too complicated and confusing
• Issue 2 October 2006– in English, Chinese (2007), Polish (2008), Thai (2007),
German (soon to be published)
• Issue 2A – to globalise and update
– no change of audit requirements
• Issue 3 completed– accepted by RILA (USA) –Launch date October 2010
The Global Standard – Consumer Products
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• First accreditation by UKAS – January 2008
• Now 6 Accredited companies
• Companies allowed to carry out audits if they are in process of accreditation – necessary to allow start ups
• BABT/TUV-SUD (UK) recognized as a Certification Body
The Global Standard – Consumer Products
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• ISO 9000 is for quality management systems. It requires a system to be in place capable of ensuring that products or services can satisfy the customer's quality requirements
• The Global Standard – Consumer Products is a product certification scheme. It is about ensuring that the products themselves are legal and safe
• Accreditation is different :– ISO 17021 (EN 45012) for quality management
– ISO Guide 65 (EN45011) for product certification
ISO 9000v Global Standard Consumer Products (GSCP)
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• Currently searchable by the public • Information is available on
– Certified companies– Certification bodies– Trainers
• Soon to be much more (2009)– Secure areas for particular retailer /
suppliers– Data management– Audit reports– Management reports– Audit notification
www.brcglobaldirectory.com
BRC Directory
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Consumer Products
• Almost all consumer products
Content & Scope of The BRC Global Standard
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• Motor vehicles
• Bulk fuel
• Services
• Pharmaceuticals dispensed by doctors
• Vitamins & minerals
• Plants & flowers
• Live animals / pets
• Products covered by other BRC Standards
Exclusions
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• Product Safety, Quality and Legality
• Risk and hazard based
• Does not cover
– Environmental management systems
– Social accountability or fair trade
– Occupational Health & Safety
– Corporate or perceived risk
Content
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• Published February 2010
– German, Chinese and US English versions
• Working with RILA
– Used to more structure
• Checklists, scoring, guidance
– Political imperative CPSIA
– Cautious start – pilots?
Issue 3
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Issue 3 is a more global, risk based standard with enhanced product conformity and management
commitment requirements
• Three Product Groups
The protocol has been improved
• Introduces 10 fundamental requirements
• Graded certification based on number and levels of non conformity
• Revised audit frequency
• Scored audit ?
Differences between Issue 2 & 3
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“Idiots Guide”
Differences
document
Assessment
Checklist
Auditor Guidance
document
Training
Interpretation
Guideline
Supporting Materials
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• Background qualifications• Auditing expertise• Training• Experience• Categories
– 21 based on EA as requested by CBs– Must have enough expertise to understand issues on site– CBs still responsible for ensuring expertise– In many cases, will not be clear and judgement will be
needed
Auditor Requirements
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• Group 1 – Products with specific legal and hygiene requirements and/or potential to cause serious injury or death if they fail during normal use
• Group 2 – Products with specific legal requirements and/or potential to cause serious injury or death if they fail during normal use
• Group 3 – Products that have some product specific legal requirements and which may cause slight injury if they fail in normal use
• Group 4 – Very low risk products that have no product specific legal requirements – disappears with Issue 3
The Standard contains a decision tree to aid classification
Product Group defines the detail of the audit and the frequency
Product Groups
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Product Group – examples
• COSMETIC WIPES
– Hygiene requirements YES
– Potential contamination YES
• Microbiological
• Chemical
– Specific Legislation YES
• TV
– Hygiene requirements NO
– Specific Legislation YES
– Potential to cause serious injury YES
• GREETING CARDS
– Hygiene requirements NO
– Specific Legislation NO
– Potential to cause serious injury NO
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1. Product Risk Management
2. Consumer Product Management System
3. Site Environment Standards
4. Product Control
5. Process Control
6. Personnel
Content
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• Hazard & risk management process
– Validated and reviewed
– Process flow, Control procedures & Corrective actions monitored & reviewed for higher groups
• Awareness and access to legal requirements & safety issues in the country of sale
– Also includes Customer Codes of Practice, Technical developments, for higher groups
1. Product Risk Management
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• Manual
• Structure, Responsibility, authority
• Management commitment
• Customer focus
• Management review
• Internal audit
• Supplier approval & performance monitor
• Document control
• Specifications
• Corrective actions
• Traceability
• Incidents and Recalls
• Complaint handling
2. Consumer Product Management System
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• Location & grounds
• Site security
• Layout and Product Flow
• Material handling
• Equipment• Maintenance
• Production facilities
• Housekeeping and hygiene
• Waste and disposal
• Pest control
• Transport
3. Site Standards
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• Design & development
• Packaging
• Product testing
• Segregation
• Stock control • Physical contaminants / metal detection
• Product release
• Control of non conforming products & materials
4. Product Control
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• Operational control
• Quantity control
• Reference samples
• Retained production samples
• Equipment & process validation
• Measuring & monitoring equipment
5. Process Control
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• Hygiene
– GMP (good manufacturing practice)
• Training
– Including refreshers & updates
6. Personnel
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• No grading – Either certificated or not
• Non conformities characterised as – Critical , major or minor
• Non conformities must be cleared before certification– Within 90 days for new company– Within one month for existing company
• Product Groups– Cannot be audited to lower group– Can be audited to higher but new rules require listing of actual
group on the certificate• On going feedback of any reported issues
Audit Outcomes
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• Receive certificate
• Certification body supplies BRC with information
• Entered onto Directory
• Eligible for use of the logo
Note : Logo cannot be used on products
Certification
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Status & Experience so far
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• Over 300 companies already certified
• In 32 countries
Certified Companies by CountryUK
China
Italy
Germany
Pakistan
Poland
France
Hungary
India
Ireland
Netherlands
Belgium
Czech
Israel
Companies by Product Type Personal care
Non durables
Kitchenware
Appliances
Household
textiles
Medical
Garments /
footwear
Tools
DIY
Pharma
Horticulture
Vehicle
accessories/
cyclesPet products
Stationery
• Standard sales increasing
• Many companies in process
Status of The Global Standard – Consumer Products
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13%
25%
25%
32%
7%
33%
59%
Audits carried out so far
Product Group Classification
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• Many companies are not well prepared
• Companies need to work on a gap analysis before certification
• Pre-assessment shown to greatly improve chances of success
Preparation
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There are common failure points:
• Do not understand responsibility for product risk assessment– Expect customer to do this– Design not controlled
• Poor control of raw materials, bought in parts or subcontracted work
• Problems with foreign body detection
• Training records
Audits
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• BRC has an approved training scheme and approved trainers
• Certification Bodies must be accredited
• Auditors must be trained in the scheme
• Visit www.brcdirectory.comChoose “Training Courses” or “Approved Training
Suppliers” for information
• BABT is approved training supplier
Training
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• Encouraging the use of the Standard– Working with retailers internationally (North America, Europe,
Australia)
– Supplier briefings
– Support for CB’s
• Technical support– advice on any aspect for all stakeholders
• Complaint investigation and compliance monitoring
• Updates and support material (with help of TAC)
• Translations as required
BRC Help
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To contact BRC [email protected] +44 207 854 8938
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Alan Binks
Technical Director, BABT
Tel: +44(0) 1932 251244
www.tuvps.co.uk www.babt.com
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