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Product & Process Certification

BIFMA
BSCI
CE Marking
CMMI

BIFMA e3 LEVEL® Certification

Gain a competitive edge in the furniture market by demonstrating commitment to the environment, quality, performance, and product claims with BIFMA e3 LEVEL® testing and certification. Most buyers demand that goods be manufactured to meet requirements for quality. Today, many are also insisting that manufacturing processes are Safe, Clean and environmentally friendly (“Sustainable”). GITCHIA is a global leader in sustainability services and certifications. We offer environmental testing, inspection and certification in nearly all industries and countries around the globe.

Increasing our level of commitment to the environment, GITCHIA provides commercial furniture manufacturer’s certification to the BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainable Standard for LEVEL certification. This certification is a multi-attributed, multi-faceted approach to sustainable manufacturing for the furniture industry. Based on the BIFMA e3-Furniture Sustainability Standard, LEVEL is a third-party certification program that provides manufacturers with valuable feedback for evaluating the environmental, human, and social impacts of their furniture products for manufacturing, facility, and organization.

Under the LEVEL certification program, GITCHIA will evaluate products and processes based on four performance criteria:

  • Materials
  • Use of Energy
  • Atmosphere and Ecosystem Health
  • Social Responsibility

Similar to the U.S. Green Building Councils LEED program, LEVEL certification requires specific prerequisites for compliance and a minimum number of points based upon the certification LEVEL attempting. For points to obtain LEVEL one, two or three certification, manufacturers may choose from those credits they want to attempt. The independent third-party certification from GITCHIA can demonstrate LEVEL certification, with compliance to the BIFMA e3 standard and allow manufacturers to achieve the LEVEL® mark.

Participation in the LEVEL® certification program provides a pathway for furniture manufacturer to achieve greater sustainability attributes, not only for individual products, but throughout the entire supply chain. Manufacturers who receive the LEVEL® certification mark are verifying that their policies and guidelines of the facility, furniture products and processes, and suppliers of materials and components are meeting the stringent requirements for LEVEL certification by BIFMA e3 standard conformance.

Gain a Competitive Edge in the Market

  • Increase your product acceptance by promoting your level of commitment to the environment.
  • Certification provides independent verification of quality, performance and product claims.
  • Validate and support the credibility of your sustainable claims with third-party certification.

With the BIFMA e3 certification, NSF (the American institute for standards, product testing and certification services) and BIFMA (Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer´s Association) have created a meaningful standard for the market that harmonizes standards of sustainability for the office furniture industry, and so helps to identify office furniture that is environmentally preferable. This standard allows for several performance levels in order to provide an open alternative for proprietary protocols.

BSCI

The Business Social Compliance Initiative is a leading business-driven initiative for companies committed to improving working conditions in the global supply chain. BSCI unite more than 900 companies around a development-oriented system applicable to all sectors and sourcing countries.

Why BSCI?

In 2003, BSCI was established by the Foreign Trade Association (FTA) in order to create consistency and harmonization for companies wanting to improve their social compliance in the global supply chain. BSCI aims to establish a common platform for the various European companies Codes of Conducts and monitoring systems, it also lays the groundwork for a common monitoring system for social compliance. The experience and the know-how gained by companies and associations from their monitoring systems were the foundations of the BSCI approach and management instruments. In 2004 the development phase was achieved and the system has since been implemented worldwide.

Benefits of BSCI

As a BSCI participant, you have the opportunity to:

  • Use an effective and well-established system to improve working conditions in your supply chain
  • Access comprehensive auditing tools available in more than 20 languages to ensure a consistent monitoring of your supply chain
  • Ensure the high quality of your audits by accessing the BSCI international network of accredited auditing companies
  • Benefit from the supplier database gathering audit information thus gaining time and money by avoiding multiple auditing of the same factory
  • Access common training activities organized for BSCI participants in Europe and for their suppliers in sourcing countries
  • Dialogue and cooperate with stakeholders at the European and supplier country level
  • Engage in a broad network of CSR managers to share and further develop best practices in the field of social compliance
  • Participate in the development of BSCI
  • Receive regular information updates on news and events in the social compliance field
  • There are multiple benefits to conducting Business Social Compliance Initiative audit of your supply chain:
  • Ensure workers throughout your supply chain are being treated ethically and their rights respected – including freedom of association, fair remuneration, health & safety and prohibition of child labour
  • Avoid negative press if it is found your suppliers are treating workers poorly
  • Enhance your reputation among consumers as a reputable and ethical company and develop a competitive edge
  • Improve your relationship with suppliers
  • Smooth your journey to SA8000® social accountability certification

GITCHIA BSCI Audit Process

As a third-party auditing body, GITCHIA conducts audits in accordance with BSCI . We offer worldwide support with competent and fully accredited local auditors. We use the following six-step process as part of our BSCI audit:

Six steps to BSCI Audit success:

  1. Read and adopt the BSCI Code of Conduct both internally and across your supply chain
  2. Request an audit with participant authorization via the online BSCI platform
  3. Fill in a self-assessment tool, as well as an audit application to obtain a customized quote
  4. Undergo a semi-announced or unannounced audit visit
  5. Receive a corrective action plan, followed by corrective phase to improve compliance
  6. If required, undergo a follow-up audit within 12 months of the initial audit to demonstrate commitment to BSCI

CE-MARKING

CE-marking services from GICTHIA – meet the compulsory product safety directives you need to trade in the EU with effective conformity assessment services from a notified body. If you want to trade in the EU, CE-marking is a mandatory conformity mark required for a wide variety of products. CE-marking indicates that your products comply with stringent EU product safety directives. However, achieving compliance can be a complex process. As a notified body for nearly all EU product safety directives, our CE-marking conformity assessment services provide you with the expertise you need to achieve compliance.

Why Use CE-MARKING Conformity Assessment Services From GICTHIA?

Whether you need assistance for the entire process or guidance for certain parts, we can help you:

  • Achieve compliance, offering you advice and guidance
  • Determine which EU directives and standards apply to your products
  • Define your responsibilities under EU product safety directives
  • Understand the concept of diverse certification and the various steps that are required
  • Identify whether a notified body (NoBo is required to enable you to achieve compliance

Trusted CE-MARKING Conformity Assessment Services From a Leading Supplier As the world’s leading certification, testing, inspection and Verification Company, we offer you unrivaled experience in EU requirements. Plus, as a notified body for nearly all EU product safety directives, we are the first choice for clients around the world who need trusted CE-marking services.

As a result of our knowledge and expertise, we can offer you more than just a regular certification service. We can provide you with extensive support and advice, enabling you to take ownership of the product certification process, so that your company will gain new expertise.

Our CE-marking conformity assessment services include:

  • Advice on the CE-marking process
  • Conformity assessment
  • Verification of design
  • Type approval
  • System audit and approval
  • File and document assessment
  • Production supervision and sample testing
  • CE audits and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing
  • Workshops and training
  • Risk analysis and assessment
  • Technical files
  • User manual and instruction card assessment
  • Identification of interpretation issues
  • Issuing your EC declaration of conformity
  • Issuing your certificate of verification

CMMI Certification

In CMMI, there is no word like Certification, CMMI Institute uses word Assessment in place of Certification. This is due to the fact that CMMI Institute unlike other Models and Standards does not impose the limitation of following defined principles laid down by the Model or Standard and allows the implementers to implement Specific Practices of Process Areas to be implemented in their own way. But in common man language Certification and Assessment are synonymous words and are used interchangeably. Unlike other Standards and Models, CMMI Institute does not provide Certificate on successful completion of the CMMI Assessment.

Difference between CMMI Certification and Assessment

In CMMI as such there no word like Certification, rather CMMI Institute uses word Assessment as discussed already. In CMMI, Assessment is conducted by team of Assessment Team Members (which involves the Lead Appraiser as Team Leader) whereas Certifications are generally conducted by team Auditors and Lead Auditors. CMMI Assessments are based on the collective evidences conducted from available documentation (direct and indirect) and participant’s interviews (oral affirmations) whereas Certifications primarily are conducted to evaluate the activities (through inspections) and records (documents). CMMI Assessments results in the Maturity Ratings for the assessed level whereas Certifications results in a Certificate.

There are three key steps in getting CMMI certification:

  1. Understanding where your organization is currently at with respect to your process goals.
  2. Adapting the CMMI to work in the context of your organization.
  3. Appraise the organization to achieve the certification.
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