Concrete Sustainability Council, towards a sustainable, safe, durable and comfortable future

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  2. Certification
  3. Certification Process

Certification Process

The following describes a typical certification process as it is suggested particularly for companies undergoing their first certification. Depending on company- and project-specific circumstances, there may be variations, e.g. the Certification Body may be chosen earlier in the process.

 

Step 1: Getting informed

  • Drafting the intended scope of certification: What concrete plants shall undergo the certification process? What part of the supply chain (cement and aggregates) is already certified or will undergo certification?

  • Gather generic information from the CSC-webpage, see: http://www.concretesustainabilitycouncil.com/

  • Perform a free Quick Scan to evaluate your performance in responsible sourcing. Go to: https://toolbox.concretesustainabilitycouncil.com/quickscan/create

  • Check whether a Regional System Operator (RSO) is available and what additional services it offers.

 

Step 2: Kick off your project

  • Define responsibilities such as project lead, gathering of evidence, obtaining offers from certification bodies and uploading of evidence.

  • Identify internal and external contact points for obtaining evidence documents (e.g. HR department for labor-related criteria).

  • Set up support tools for internal collaboration (e.g. mailing list, dedicated folders to store collected evidence documents).

 

Step 3: Register as user of the CSC-toolbox

 

Step 4: Purchase licenses for your CSC certification project

  • The company buys one or more certification rights (see 1.7 Fees). The purchase of at least one certification rights is necessary for accessing the toolbox for other purposes than performing a “Quickscan”.

  • Licenses can be purchased in your account under ‘settings’ / “licenses”: https://auth.concretesustainabilitycouncil.com/license/view

  • You will need one license for each plant to be certified.

  • Purchasing a bundle of licenses reduces the costs per license. CSC members are eligible for additional discounts.

 

Step 5: Create your  project

  • The company first defines the project(s) in the Toolbox.  This requires specifying the plants that will undergo certification and the assessment type (cement/ concrete/ aggregates).

  • Go to: https://toolbox.concretesustainabilitycouncil.com/project and follow the instructions

  • The project information (incl. name/address of the company/plant) will be used for the certificate.

 

Step 6: Gathering of evidence

  • In the assessment, all relevant evidence needs to be collected and uploaded via the toolbox. Furthermore,  appropriate explanation for the assessor (see step 4) must be provided.

  • Identify  the criteria the plants undergoing certification are compliant with.

  • Gather related evidence documents (e.g. guidelines, policies, procedures, photo evidence, plant data and management systems documentation).

  • Submit evidence relating to credit “B3 Innovation” to the Innovation Committee (IC) for assessment. Detailed information on the related process is provided in a dedicated chapter. As this process requires some time it is advisable to submit the evidence as early as possible.

 

Step 7: Choose a certification body

  • The company has to select a CSC accredited CB latest after project registration. The CB appoints an assessor to the project. Auditing costs are subject of a dedicated agreement between the client and the CB.

  • Choose your Certification Body (CB) amongst the CSC-accredited bodies listed on the website: https://concretesustainabilitycouncil.org/index.php?pagina=members

  • Indicate your choice in the “CSC Toolbox” under the frame of your registered project.

  • The chosen CB will nominate an assessor and indicate this in the Toolbox.

  • It is advisable to perform this step before Step 6 is finalized; this will increase the probability that the assessor is available as soon as all evidence is ready for review.

 

Step 8: Upload your evidence

  • Upload your evidence in the “CSC Toolbox” under the frame of your registered project and provide additional explanation where helpful to accelerate the assessor’s verification process.

  • For multiple certifications, you can copy generic evidence from one project to another

 

Step 9: Register your project

  • Formal registration of the certification project(s) is necessary to start the certification process. On registration the certification licenses are used. The terms and conditions have to be accepted.

 

Step 10: The assessor’s verification process

  • The assessor checks the evidence uploaded in the Toolbox and during site-visits.

  • The assessor will typically first carry out a desktop review of the submitted evidence.

  • An on-site audit at selected plants will allow the assessor to verify the evidence on site: number of visited plants = 0.7 x number of plants undergoing certification

  • In case there is a regional system operator, regional requirements for site visits can apply.

  • In case the assessor identifies non-conformites and improvement opportunities the client will be requested to submit additional evidence.

  • Once satisfied the assessor closes the certification and informs the CB accordingly.

  • The certification body performs quality assurance activities on the work of the assessor.  The assessor validates each criterion and explains why the points are achieved or denied.

 

Step 11: Certification

  • The CB issues and publishes the certificate, see: https://toolbox.concretesustainabilitycouncil.com/certifiedProjects

  • The first two pages of the certificate become available as a download on the CSC website at the publication date agreed between the CB and the company.

  • The certificate is valid for three years. Only evidence referring to a limited number of potentially evolving credits needs to be checked on an annual bases. Details regarding the so-called annual “Compliance Validation” are summarized in a dedicated chapter.