Are there large corporations such as Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson or L'Oréal among your customers? If so, the iCompliance initiative launched in 2020 may become an important topic for you as well.

The idea behind the iCompliance initiative is that suppliers can meet the requirements of several customers at once with a single annual audit. This reduces the audit burden for suppliers, who can henceforth focus on implementing consistent quality standards. It is supported by leading FMCG brand owners, including Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Estée Lauder and L'Oréal.

Within the scope of iCompliance are suppliers of cosmetic ingredients, raw materials and ingredients for household and laundry products, active pharmaceutical ingredients and excipients, and suppliers of primary and secondary packaging materials.

DQS is one of the leading certification bodies for iCompliance. Since March 2020, DQS Group has been conducting audits as part of the iCompliance program.

iCompliance: Compliance Management from a Single Source

In summary, iCompliance enables:

  • Consistency: A common framework for GMP practices and auditing standards across the FMCG industry
  • Quality: Control is more in-depth than any other external audit program
  • Productivity: Reduced number of customer audits through annual iCompliance recertification
  • Faster qualification: Large number of qualified auditors. This enables faster qualification and recognition of customers
  • New business potential: Suppliers can easily demonstrate their capabilities to new customers
  • Data control: Supplier controls access to central report repository, which can be shared with customers

iCompliance draws on existing standards to provide a consistent framework. Depending on the business, suppliers are audited against internationally recognized standards such as ICH Q7, IPEC, EFfCI, ISO 15378, FSSC and BRCGS Packaging Standard. For a complete overview of the initiative and the process for suppliers, please visit the iCompliance website.

Author
Constanze Illner

Constanze Illner (she/her) is Research and Communications Officer in the area of sustainability and food safety. In this position, she keeps an eye on all important developments in this context and informs our clientele in a monthly newsletter. She also moderates the annual Sustainability Heroes conference.

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