New BRC guidance for manufacturers in Europe and USA

9 June 2010

New guidance on how to use the latest BRC Global Standard for Consumer Products and achieve certification against the Standard has been issued in Europe and the USA.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) and its American equivalent, The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) have published an Interpretation Guideline to help manufacturers implement the Global Standard for Consumer Products Issue 3 and achieve certification against it.

The Guideline builds on the requirements detailed in the Global Standard and provides an expanded explanation of the certification programme and the audit process. The Interpretation Guideline is not confined to any specific industry sector. It applies to most types of non-food, consumer goods manufacturing and assembly-packing sites.

The Guideline includes many practical examples, hints and tips on common pitfalls and helps sites understand what to expect from an audit visit.

Dr Geoff Spriegel, Director of BRC Global Standards, said: “This publication will help all manufacturers of consumer goods achieve and maintain certification against the latest BRC Global Standard for Consumer Products. The Guideline will also be useful for auditors and those requesting that their suppliers adopt the Global Standard.”

Independent certification of a manufacturer’s operation against the BRC Global Standard for Consumer Products Issue 3 advances the retail industry’s commitment to safe, legal products of consistent quality.

Ensuring that their suppliers meet the requirements of the Global Standard helps retailers to demonstrate they are taking appropriate measures to comply with regulations which follow a number of incidents in recent years involving the safety of products. Those products include toys, cribs, jewellery and computer batteries. Previously many individual retailers set and evaluated suppliers against their own standards. Now major retailers in both Europe and the USA are beginning to request their suppliers work towards certification to the Global Standard.

Certification is an effective and cost efficient way for retailers to establish confidence in products and reduces the burden of multiple audits for suppliers. Ultimately it improves the safety of products for consumers.