Membership of the Cleaning & Hygiene Suppliers Association’s (CHSA) Manufacturing Standards Accreditation Schemes has increased, as distributors joining the Accredited Distributors Scheme demand conformance from their suppliers.
The CHSA’s Accredited Distributor Scheme was launched in January this year and already more than 135 distributor members of the Association have been approved for membership. To become an Accredited Distributor, as well as passing the auditing process, distributors commit to supplying only CHSA Accredited product in the areas of soft tissue, plastic refuse sacks or industrial cotton mops, or product which conforms to the standards set out in the relevant Scheme.
The result is the new Accredited Distributors demand their suppliers adhere to the same high standards to which they ascribe and, as a result, many are applying to join the relevant Manufacturing Standards Accreditation Scheme.
Mike Stubbs, Chairman of the Accreditation Scheme Panels and Vice President of the CHSA, said: “Our focus is on driving up and then maintaining standards in the industry. We’re delighted distributors have responded so positively to the launch of the Accredited Distributor Scheme; membership signals their commitment to supplying product that can be relied upon to meet the Scheme Standards and the CHSA Code of Practice.
“It’s an unexpected but incredibly positive outcome that the expansion of the Accredited Distributor Scheme is leading to a growth in the number of applications to the Manufacturing Standards Accreditation Schemes. It’s proof we’re driving standards up throughout the supply chain.
“Buyers of cleaning and hygiene products from our Accredited Distributors and Manufacturers can be really certain what’s on the box is what’s in the box.”
Gaining admittance to the Accreditation Schemes is challenging. Applicants are admitted to the Scheme on the successful completion of an auditing process conducted by the CHSA’s Independent Inspector. Once they have successfully passed the audit and secured Accreditation Scheme status they continue to be regularly audited, giving buyers of their products the certainty standards are sustained.
In addition, to join the Accredited Distributors Scheme, distributors must sign a declaration that they will only stock and offer for sale CHSA Accredited products or products that conform to the same standards as required by the relevant CHSA Manufacturing Standards Accreditation Scheme.
