Requirements of Eco-Reinforcement

The organisational, supply chain, environmental and social criteria, are either defined as compulsory or voluntary which can also be ‘tradeable’. Certificates are awarded on a ‘Pass’, ‘Good’, ‘Very good’ and ‘Excellent’ scale based on the number of points awarded for different performance levels. Assessments can be undertaken for single products/sites, multiple products/sites or entire organisations.

The correct management systems are critical to enable suppliers to establish, implement and maintain procedures that address responsible sourcing principles. Organisations certified to the Eco-Reinforcement Standard will have policies and procedures in place for addressing their responsible sourcing commitments and legal requirements. They will also have certified quality management systems to ISO 9001 or equivalent and a system for approving and recording suppliers. Furthermore, the organisation must demonstrate that a high percentage of suppliers operate in compliance with international human rights legislation.

However, the principle of Responsible Sourcing is not solely based around the individual organisation, rather it goes much further incorporating the complete supply chain i.e. from the source of the raw materials used in the production of the assessed product, through to end use. A high percentage of materials within the assessed product will be traceable back to source, and organisations throughout the supply chain of the product will operate under recognised quality, environmental and health & safety management systems such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001.

Responsible sourcing addresses not only the environmental impacts of a product but also the social impacts occurring as a result of the manufacturing/fabricating process. Organisations producing Eco-Reinforcement certified products will be committed to measuring their environmental and social impacts against a formal set of metrics and setting targets for their improvement as well as reporting their performance to stakeholders and verifying their data. Depending on the level of certification, a range of the following impacts will be addressed: