Important standard for high-quality, safe products
Simplified access to global markets
Optimized production process
Increased customer confidence
Improved product safety and quality
BRCGS Consumer Products Certification - for improved product safety in the non-food sector
The BRCGS Consumer Products Standard was originally developed by the British Retail Federation (BRC), an association of British retail chains. Following the acquisition of the BRC by LGC Assurance in 2016 and a rebranding process, the BRC Standards are now known as the BRCGS Standards.Accordingly, the focus of a BRCGS audit is primarily on analyzing potential risks for users and how these can be avoided.
Which companies are eligible for BRCGS Consumer Products (CP) certification?
Certification is possible for consumer products, which are divided into two groups:
- Personal care and household products: these include, for example, cosmetics and cleaning products. These products must meet higher hygiene requirements.
- General merchandise: These include electronic goods and toys. Above all, these products must meet high safety and quality requirements.
BRCGS CP certification is not available for pharmaceuticals or dietary supplements. Certifiable products can be made of wood, textiles, glass, plastic, ceramics, and other natural or artificial materials.Depending on the material and intended use, products are divided into three risk classes according to BRCGS Consumer Products. Electronic items or cosmetics fall into the high-risk class in terms of safety or hygiene, while clothing is classified in the medium-risk class. Jewellery or stationery, on the other hand, are placed in the low-risk class.
What requirements must be met for BRCGS Consumer Products certification?
Companies have the option of including individual aspects in the audits. In this way, the BRCGS CP certificate can be adapted to the individual circumstances and characteristics of products.
BRCGS Consumer Products vs. ISO 9001
Certification Procedure
The first step is to discuss your company, your management system and the goals of certification. In addition, the manufacturer must determine the product group for the manufactured products based on the BRCGS decision tree. The classification is verified by the certification body.
On this basis, you will promptly receive a detailed and transparent offer from us, tailored to your individual needs.
As soon as your company is ready, an audit date will be set with you, and approved auditors with the required competence and experience in your industry will be selected. During the certification audit, our auditors assess, among other things, whether your management system meets the standard's requirements and identify the potential for improvement. In a final discussion, you will receive a detailed presentation of the results from your DQS auditor, including a description of the potential for improvement for your company. If necessary, action plans will be agreed upon.
The audit and its results are evaluated by the independent certification board of DQS, which decides on the issuance of the certificate. You will receive an audit report documenting the audit results. If there are any discrepancies, you will have the opportunity to correct them and take appropriate action at that time. If all applicable requirements are met, you will receive the certificate with a term of one year. Your certificate will be published in the BRCGS database.
After one year, your certificate expires. To ensure the complete validity of your BRCGS Consumer Products certificate, we will schedule your next audit early.