| 1 | Objective |
| 1.1 | Objective of this procedure |
| This procedure provides the ANAB criteria, process and guidelines for the accreditation of certification bodies in accordance with ANAB procedures and ISO/IEC 17065. In addition, the requirements for Certification Bodies set forth in this procedure are specific requirements relating to performing certification to the chosen Content Claim Standard-based standard(s) owned by the Textile Exchange (TE) including the Organic Content Standard (OCS), the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS), and the Global Recycled Standard Version (GRS). |
| 1.2 | Scope of the Certification Scheme |
| The procedures and requirements as specified in this manual are applicable for Certification Bodies that apply for accreditation to certify against the TE standard(s) and to the Accreditation Body performing the oversight. This document supersedes all versions and amendments of previous Accreditation Procedures. These procedures apply to the accreditation of certification activities related to Content Claim Standard based standard(s) owned by the Textile Exchange including the Organic Content Standard and the Recycled Content Standard.
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| 2 | Definitions |
| 2.1 | As a general rule, definitions of ISO/IEC Guide 17000:2020 and ISO 9000:2015 are applicable. Additionally, the definitions in Content Claim Standard-based standard(s) owned by Textile Exchange including the Organic Content Standard (OCS), Recycled Claim Standard (RCS), and Global Recycled Standard (GRS) are applicable as well. |
| SECTION 1 - Requirements and Process to Accredit Certification Bodies in Accordance with the Content Claim Standard-based standard(s) owned by Textile Exchange including the Organic Content Standard (OCS), Global Recycled Standard (GRS) and Recycled Content Standard (RCS) requirements as well.
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| 2.2 | TEXTILE EXCHANGE STANDARD: As a general rule, this term can refer to any or all of the following standards; Textile Exchange Organic Content Standard, Textile Exchange Recycled Claim Standard, and/or, Global Recycled Standard Version 3.0. |
| 3 | Background Information |
| 3.1 | Textile Exchange is an international, member-supported non-profit organization established in 2003 under the original name of Organic Exchange. Textile Exchange is committed to the responsible expansion of organic cotton and other sustainable textile value chains.
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| 3.2 | A key focus for Textile Exchange is promoting and ensuring integrity in sustainability claims made about products or a company. Textile Exchange has developed standards that ensure these product and content claims can be validated through a third party certification. Certification Bodies will assess a company against the standard's requirements, issue a certificate of conformity, issue transaction certificates for each shipment of certified goods, and continually monitor adherence to the standard. These Certification Bodies are then assessed by an Accreditation Body against requirements detailed in the OCS, GRS, and RCS Procedures. The main purpose of these Procedures is to provide for credible, consistent and reliable implementation of this oversight process through third-party certification. |
| The Global Recycled Standard was revised in 2014 after several rounds of stakeholder input. It is an international standard that provides requirements for third‐party certification of the recycled content of products by verifying the chain of custody from the recycler to the final product. The Standard also specifies environmental and social requirements for manufacturing, including chemical use. |
| 4 | Accreditation Requirements |
| 4.1 | ANAB Requirements |
| 4.1.1 | In order to be eligible to be accredited by ANAB, the applicant CB shall comply with ANAB criteria as defined in PRO-PL-101 and PRO-PL-102. International consistency is further reinforced by ANAB's adherence to the requirements of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF)/ Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated (APAC). |
| 4.2 | Sector Specific Requirements |
| 4.2.1 | Textile Exchange Accreditation Requirement |
| 4.2.1.1 | Sector specific accreditation requirements are contained in the Content Claim Standard-based standard(s) owned by Textile Exchange including the Organic Content Standard (OCS), Global Recycled Standard (GRS), and Recycled Content Standard (RCS). |
| 4.2.2 | Scopes of Accreditation |
| 4.2.2.1 | The scope of an applicant body shall be defined in accordance with the methods set forth in Textile Exchange Standards documents. Using these methods ensures that applicants are provided with an accurate and unambiguous description of the areas of capability for which the certification body is accredited. |
| 4.2.2.2 | For an extension of scope, the accredited certification program shall formally apply to ANAB by letter or e-mail. Each request for an extension of scope will be individually reviewed, and a decision on whether or not the request is accepted by ANAB or requires additional information will be determined by ANAB. |
| 4.2.3 | Administrative and Operational Requirements |
| 4.2.3.1 | The administrative and operational requirements imposed on the CB are contained in the Textile Exchange Standards program documents. |
| 4.2.4 | Subcontracting |
| 4.2.4.1 | A Certification Body may use subcontractors in accordance with the provisions in ISO/IEC 17065 and any requirement defined by the Textile Exchange Standards documents. |
| 5 | Application for Accreditation |
| 5.1 | Information on the Procedure - Preliminary Letter of Application for Accreditation. ANAB evaluates inquiries from applicants to determine eligibility in accordance with PRO-PL-102: Manual of Operations for Accreditation of Product Certification Programs. |
| 5.2 | Analysis of the Preliminary Letter of Application |
| 5.2.1 | The analysis of the Preliminary Letter of Application is conducted in accordance with PRO-PL-102: Manual of Operations for Accreditation of Product Certification Programs. Applicants who have demonstrated compliance with the eligibility requirements are sent an application package. |
| 5.3 | The Application |
| 5.3.1 | The documents, which ANAB provides to the CB Applicant, are listed in PRO-PR-112: Application Process. Applicants shall provide documents and background information to initiate the accreditation process in accordance with PRO-PL-102. |
| NOTE: Applicants are encouraged to provide electronic versions of application documentation. Where this is not possible, the applicant shall provide five copies of application documentation. |
| 5.3.2 | The application is processed in accordance with PRO-PL-102, PRO-PR-112, and Textile Exchange Standards documentation. The applicant shall inform ANAB of the scope of accreditation requested in PRO-FR-104. |
| 5.3.3 | An application will be considered inactive if an applicant does not reply to written informational requests nor actions required by ANAB. ANAB will provide a written notice prior to the 70th day from the date of notification of receipt of application. One year from the notification of receipt of application, the applicant shall complete all its required actions in the accreditation process unless the process has been delayed by ANAB. At the discretion of the Director of Accreditation, the timeline may be extended but it cannot exceed eighteen months from the date of notification of receipt of application. If the applicant fails to complete the accreditation process within the time defined above, the applicant shall be obligated to reapply for accreditation and will have to submit a new application package and pay new initial fees. |
| 5.4 | Preparation for Assessment |
| 5.4.1 | The preparation for the initial assessment is described in PRO-PR-145. |
| 5.5 | Assessment/Competencies of ANAB assessment team |
| 5.5.1 | The assessment team will conduct the document review followed by the initial assessment on the site of the applicant to confirm its full conformance with the ANAB and Textile Exchange accreditation requirements. The assessment is conducted in accordance with PRO-PL-102, PRO-PR-145 and the Textile Exchange Standards documents. |
| 5.5.2 | Competency criteria, duties and responsibilities for the technical assessor member of the ANAB assessment team are defined in PRO-FR-145, PRO-PR-146 and the Textile Exchange Accreditation requirements. |
| 5.5.3 | Initial assessments are conducted at the applicant’s head office facility and at other key location(s) that perform activities related to the certification process. Witness assessment is part of the initial assessment. See requirements defined in PRO-PL-102 and by the Textile Exchange Accreditation requirements. |
| 5.5.4 | The assessment team will present to the certification body applicant a summary of the results of the on-site assessment that includes the non-conformity(ies) (if applicable). |
| 5.6 | Witness Assessment |
| 5.6.1 | During the initial assessment, ANAB will conduct a witness assessment(s) to assess the competency of the Certification Body Applicant to conduct visits on its clients for each requested scope in accordance with the Textile Exchange Accreditation and Standard's requirements. |
| 5.7 | Assessment Report |
| 5.7.1 | The assessment and technical reports are developed in accordance with PRO-PR-120. For the technical assessment, the technical assessor shall take into consideration the clauses mentioned in PRO-PR-146 as well in the Textile Exchange Program Documents. The assessment reports will be sent to the applicant within 30 days of the initial assessment. |
| 5.8 | Decision on Accreditation |
| 5.8.1 | The applicant shall send a corrective action plan to address any required actions. The response shall either provide evidence of completion of any required corrective actions or shall present a plan to address the nonconformity(ies). |
| 5.8.2 | Corrective actions for all issued nonconformities shall be reviewed, and nonconformities closed before the application can proceed to the next stage. |
| 5.8.3 | Once all required actions are satisfied, ANAB forwards the following documents to the Evaluation Task Group (ETG) for its review: |
| a) | Background Information about the Certification Body; |
| b) | ANAB Initial Assessment Report and Technical Assessment Report; |
| c) | Witness Assessment Report on Certification Body (PRO-FR-119); |
| d) | Nonconformity/Corrective Action Record (PRO-FR-022); and |
| e) | Report of the PRO Evaluation Task Group (PRO-FR-128). |
| 5.8.4 | During a conference call, the ETG members review the documents related to the applicant's initial assessment and based upon the review, decide to recommend/not recommend the accreditation of the applicant to ANAB Accreditation Committee. The assessment team participates in the initial part of the agenda of the conference to provide the background on the results of the on-site assessment and to answer questions. |
| 5.8.5 | In making accreditation decisions, the ANAB Accreditation Committee shall base such decisions on the applicant's capacity to meet requirements in ANAB accreditation criteria and the TE program documentation. |
| 5.8.6 | The ANAB Accreditation Program provides recognition of attainment of accreditation to its accredited bodies in the form of a certificate signed by the ANAB Vice President of PILR. This certificate identifies all sites covered by the accreditation: |
| a) | Name and address; |
| b) | All sites covered by the accreditation; |
| c) | Scope of the accreditation granted; |
| d) | Effective accreditation date; and |
| e) | Date of Expiration of Accreditation. |
| 5.9 | Surveillance and Reassessment Procedures |
| 5.9.1 | Surveillance and reassessments are conducted in accordance with PRO-PL-102, PRO-PR-116, PRO-PR-146 and the Textile Exchange Accreditation and Standard’s requirements. The witness assessment is conducted in accordance with PRO-PR-119 during surveillances and reassessments. |
| 5.10 | Records |
| 5.10.1 | All records are maintained in accordance with, PRO-PL-102 and Textile Exchange Accreditation and Standard’s requirements. |
| 5.11 | Reference to Accreditation Status |
| 5.11.1 | ANAB will provide Textile Exchange representatives with the list of accredited certification bodies who comply with ANAB and the Textile Exchange Standards. ANAB maintains this information in a database in accordance with PR 1004 Record Control and Retention Policy and in ANAB directory of accredited certification bodies. |
| 5.11.2 | ANAB is the owner of an accreditation Symbol intended for use under the ANAB Accreditation Program. The ANAB Accreditation Program allows an accredited body to refer to its accreditation in certificates, reports, stationery and publicity materials related to its accredited activities. |
| 5.11.3 | ANAB does not allow the use of its accreditation symbol in any way that implies that ANAB has approved a product, process or service certified by an accredited body. The ANAB accreditation symbol shall not be used on a product or in any other way that may be interpreted as denoting product conformance or endorsement by ANAB. |
| 5.11.4 | ANAB will take suitable action, including corrective action, suspension or withdrawal of accreditation, publication of the transgression and, if necessary, any other legal action to deal with misleading references to the accreditation or a misleading use of the accreditation mark found in advertisement, catalogues, etc. |
| 5.12 | Certification body personnel |
| 5.12.1 | The certification body shall define the requirements for the competence of staff, the auditors and technical experts that it uses to conduct audits, whether they are employees, employed on contract or provided by external bodies. |
| 5.12.2 | Auditors shall meet the requirements of appropriate international documentation and the Textile Exchange Accreditation requirements. In regard to an audit conducted in accordance with the Textile Exchange Standards and other relevant requirements, the relevant guidelines for auditing and the relevant criteria for auditors are those defined in ISO 19011. |
| 5.12.3 | Technical experts are not required to comply with the requirements for auditors in ISO 19011. Guidance on their personal attributes may be obtained from ISO 19011, Clause 7.2. |
| 5.12.4 | All auditors and audit team leaders shall possess the competencies identified in ISO 19011, Clause 7.3, and meet the levels of education, work experience, auditor training and audit experience specified in ISO 19011, Table 1. |
| 5.12.5 | The knowledge and understanding specified at A.4 (ISO 19011) and in the Textile exchange requirements may be demonstrated through educational qualifications, sector-specific training and/or on site experience or a combination of these. |
| 5.12.6 | The certification body shall be able to demonstrate use of two or more of the methods specified in ISO 19011,Table 2 that the level of competence required of an auditor selected to be part of an audit team is appropriate to the objectives and scope of the particular audit in which he/she participates. |
| 5.12.7 | In selecting the audit team, consideration should be given to ISO 19011, Clauses 6.2.4 and any specific competence necessary to meet the audit objectives; see Clause 6.2.2 (ISO 19011). |
| 5.12.8 | The certification body shall have personnel with appropriate, defined technical and management competency to: |
| a) | Assess applications and conduct contract reviews; |
| b) | Select auditors and verify their competence; |
| c) | Brief auditors and arrange any necessary training; |
| d) | Implement (audit), procedures; |
| e) | Decide on the granting, maintaining, withdrawing, suspending, extending or reducing of certification; |
| f) | Set up/operate complaints and appeals procedures; and |
| g) | Understand the requirements of the ISO/IEC 17065. |
| 5.12.9 | The certification body shall have procedures to ensure that each audit team contains a staff member/auditor that has been trained to the Textile Exchange standard and accreditation requirements and found to be competent prior to authorizing the auditor or audit team leader to audit as an unsupervised auditor. Full evaluation means, where appropriate, evaluating the auditor’s or audit team leader’s planning, leadership and auditing skills and technical knowledge as applicable. This should include evaluation against all of the technical elements of the Textile Exchange standard. Conversion from auditor to audit team leader may only require evaluation where a previous evaluation verified the auditor’s auditing skills and technical competence. |
| 5.12.10 | A positive written report on an audit witnessed by ANAB may be used as a demonstration of meeting the requirements at clause 5.12.13 within the scope of the witnessed audit. |
| 5.12.11 | If a certification body uses technical experts, its systems shall include details of how technical experts are selected and how their technical knowledge is assured on a continuing basis. The certification body may rely on external help, for example, from industry or professional institutions or associations. Technical experts shall not perform an independent auditing function within the team and shall be supervised by an auditor who meets the certification body’s generic competence criteria for auditors, and at all times, work in close cooperation with such an auditor. |
| 5.12.12 | The certification body shall audit assess the conduct of a technical expert the first time he/she is used to assist with an assessment; and subsequently monitor his/her performance and keep records of these assessments. |
| 5.12.13 | The certification body should establish the frequency of witnessing activities to take account of the criticality and volume of the work being undertaken, the experience and performance history of the auditors/technical experts and any data obtained from other types of monitoring activity such as review of audit reports and market feedback. |
| 5.12.14 | All audit teams operating on site shall include a member that have been trained to the Textile Exchanged standard and accreditation requirements.
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| 5.13 | Changes in the Accreditation Requirements |
| 5.13.1 | ANAB will give due notice of any changes to be made to its requirements for accreditation and will take into account views expressed by interested parties before deciding on the precise form and effective date of the changes. ANAB shall verify that each accredited body carries out any necessary adjustments to its procedures within a reasonable time period. |
| 5.14 | Appeals, Complaints and Disputes |
| 5.14.1 | Appeals and Complaints brought before ANAB shall be reviewed in accordance with PRO-PL-102. |
| 5.15 | Access to Records of Complaints and Appeals |
| 5.15.1 | The Accreditation Program requires that each applicant and accredited body make available its records of all complaints and appeals as well as subsequent actions available to ANAB, when requested. |
| 5.15.2 | ANAB shall: |
| a) | Maintain records of all complaints and appeals and mediations relative to accreditation; |
| b) | Take appropriate corrective and preventive action; and |
| c) | Document the actions taken and assess their effectiveness. |
| SECTION 2 - Application for Certification in accordance with ISO/IEC 17065 and TE Standard. |
| 6 | General Requirements |
| 6.1 | The CB is required by Textile Exchange to implement the requirements contained in Textile Exchange Standards and shall be accredited, or apply for accreditation from an Accreditation Body that complies with the ISO/IEC 17011:2017 Conformity assessment - Requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies. |
| 6.2 | Be a legal entity |
| 6.3 | Be able to demonstrate the applicable experience and qualification/competencies of the auditor involved in the certification process. |
| 6.4 | Be able to ensure certification to the standard is applied consistently by all its certification personnel through a documented management and training system. |
| 6.5 | Stay informed on the development of new and revised production methods in the industries of the scope(s) they have applied.
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| 6.6 | Be able to enter into a contract and comply with Textile Exchange and ANAB procedures. |
| 6.7 | Have sufficient personnel and financial stability to properly, impartially, and effectively perform certification activities. |
| 7 | Certification Information |
| 7.1 | After accreditation has successfully occurred, the CB will provide evidence to Textile Exchange in the form of a certificate of Accreditation issued by ANAB. Textile Exchange and the Certification Body will then enter into a formal contract. |
| 8 | Information on the Certification Procedure |
| 8.1 | See Section F and “Additional Requirements and Clarifications to ISO/IEC 17065” in the Textile Exchange Accreditation and Certification Procedure. |
| 9 | The Application |
| 9.1 | See Item 7.2 ISO/IEC 17065:2012. Refer to “In addition to 7.2” in the Textile Exchange Accreditation and Certification Procedure. |
| 9.2 | The CB shall implement the certification activities as defined by ISO/IEC 17065 and as applicable in the Textile Exchange Accreditation and Certification Procedure. |
| 9.3 | ANAB must receive authorization from Textile Exchange before beginning the accreditation process.
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