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No. Products manufactured under a CHSA Manufacturing Accreditation Scheme must comply with all applicable requirements of the relevant Scheme Standard. Customer-specific branding, packaging, labelling requirements or other commercial arrangements do not exempt a product from the Scheme’s identification, traceability or labelling requirements.

The Accredited Manufacturer remains responsible for ensuring that all products manufactured and supplied under the Scheme comply with the relevant Scheme Standard, regardless of whether the product is sold under the manufacturer’s brand, a customer’s brand, or as an own-label product.

Products manufactured under a CHSA Manufacturing Accreditation Scheme must be identifiable to the Accredited Manufacturer. Where practicable, identification should be achieved through:

• the manufacturer’s company name;
• the manufacturer’s brand name;
• another CHSA-approved unique identifier assigned to or recognised by the Accredited Manufacturer (e.g. FSC cert no.); or
• where none of the above are acceptable to the customer, the manufacturer’s CHSA Confidential Reference Number.

The CHSA Confidential Reference Number is issued by the Independent Inspector and is confidential between the Accredited Manufacturer and the Independent Inspector. Its purpose is to enable manufacturers to comply with the Scheme’s identification and traceability requirements where the manufacturer’s name, brand or another CHSA-approved identifier cannot appear on the product or packaging.

Membership of the CHSA signals to your customers that you trade ethically and sustainably, provide quality fit for purpose products and make sure what’s on the box is what’s in the box. Your customers can trust the CHSA Accreditation Scheme mark. Our standards, your guarantee.

There is no specific timetable, but three to six months is usual.  Three months is generally the quickest, providing there are no delays in the application process. To avoid delays, we suggest you:

• ensure we receive a swift response to the reference requests;
• pay promptly on receipt of the invoice for the initial audit and first year membership fee;
• arrange the audit visit promptly when contacted direct by the Independent Inspector; and
• respond quickly with satisfactory answers to queries that might be raised by the Inspector during that initial audit.

If, because the applicant is unable to progress or does not respond promptly to communication from the CHSA, the application has not concluded within six months from the date the application form and non-refundable application fee were received, the application can be terminated by the CHSA. No application from the same business will be considered within 12 months of the termination date.

No. Members are encouraged to use the logo of the Accreditation Scheme of which they are a member on marketing materials. The Association logo is for the use of Association only.

No. Accredited Manufacturers can put the relevant Accreditation Scheme logo only on the products within the scope of the Accreditation Scheme of which they are a member.

Accredited Distributors may have the relevant Accredited Manufacturing Scheme logo on products within the scope of that Accredited Manufacturer Scheme if the product is sourced from an Accredited Manufacturer that is a member of the said Scheme. Accredited Manufacturer Scheme logos may not be placed on products manufactured by non-members.

Accredited Distributors may not put the logo for the Accredited Distributor Scheme on any products.

Yes. Members are encouraged to use the Accreditation Scheme logo for the Scheme of which they are a member on their documentation and marketing collateral.

No. Members are not permitted to alter the CHSA Accreditation Scheme logos. Only the versions provided by the CHSA are permitted. This means the logo can be in the CHSA’s brand colours or black and white.

In Scope are those within the remit of one or more of the CHSA’s Accredited Manufacturer Schemes

• Soft Tissue (e.g. hygiene rolls, hand towels, toilet tissue, paper napkins)
• Plastic Sacks (e.g. refuse sacks, compactor sacks, Fit for Purpose (FFP) rated products, LINs and OTH)
• Cotton Mops (≥70% cotton, CHSA standard and non-standard weights)
• Cleaning Chemicals (e.g. sanitisers, wipes, biocides and other liquids for professional use)

If in doubt if the product is in scope, please ask the Independent Inspector.

You can buy product from any manufacturer. However, product that falls within the scope of a CHSA Manufacturing Accreditation Scheme, whether purchased from a CHSA Accredited Manufacturer or not, must comply with the relevant Accreditation Scheme Technical Regulations and Standard. It is the responsibility of the Accredited Distributor to ensure compliance. If such products are not purchased from a CHSA Accredited Manufacturer, the ADS member must ensure that the appropriate controls and monitoring are implemented as described in the guidance notes available upon request.

If there are any issues the Independent Inspector will explain the findings. If you still have concerns you may provide comments or context. If you would like these to be included in the Inspector’s summary report to the CHSA Scheme Chair, please return them within five working days. The intention is that the audit be a collaborative process.

The Independent Inspector visits many members, based all over the country, each year to complete the audits. To maximise efficiency and minimise travel, the audit visits are arranged geographically. This limits our flexibility.

The ADS Compliance Checklist, available on the resources page of the CHSA website, provides answers for ADS members, whether sourcing their biocidal products from a CHSA CMAS member or from a third-party non-member. Please contact the Secretary or Scheme Chair directly if you require further information.

Yes. If you manufacture cleaning hygiene products with Biocidal efficacy claims, you need to possess EN Test pass reports, from a testing laboratory that meets the requirements of EN ISO/IEC 17025, UKAS or equivalent in the UK or Europe and is licenced to undertake the relevant biocidal efficacy tests claimed.

If you manufacture cleaning hygiene products with Biocidal efficacy claims, you need to possess EN Test pass reports, from a testing laboratory that meets the requirements of EN ISO/IEC 17025, UKAS or equivalent in the UK or Europe and is licenced to undertake the relevant biocidal efficacy tests claimed.

CMAS members are obliged to provide full visibility of biocidal test data to support any biocidal declarations directly related to specific products, at the time of a CHSA audit to the Independent Inspector, to validate such claims and ensure ongoing compliance.

If you manufacture Biocides, your products must comply with the appropriate Biocides regulations supply in use, BPR, or you must provide a timeline for complying.