Setting the Standard: When Clients Write Their Own Rulebook

The vast certification network comprises a range of international and region-specific standards to suit various commodities, company structures, and geographical locations.

However, even with this dense variety of options, some brands choose to build their own standards and utilize a certification body like Control Union Certifications to provide consultation, input, and second-party verification.

In this article, we’ll examine these client-prescribed programmes, including how they work, when they work best, and why companies may choose to go their own way and set their own standard.

What is a client-prescribed standard?

In many cases, brands will seek verification of their claims by pursuing a voluntary third-party certification. This could relate to claims ranging from food safety to ethical practices to standardized systems, and the retrieval of this certification allows the brand to show that it adheres to a widely recognized benchmark.

Our role in this process is to audit the brand against the standard owner’s criteria and either issue or refuse certification based on that audit. However, some of our clients choose to create their own programmes, thereby altogether setting aside the recognition of an independent third party. These programmes use the clients’ pre-existing methodologies, resources, systems, and tools to verify compliance with requirements they place on themselves.

Though the downside to adopting this approach is that the programme only applies to the specific company and is therefore not recognized on a global scale by the brand’s customers, developing an internal programme that is audited and consulted on via second-party verification provides a degree of flexibility that they may not otherwise encounter by following an independent body’s specific agenda and criteria.

Crafting a unique standard

Though voluntary certifications from third parties highlight that a brand lives up to the ideals of a reputable and, often, internationally recognized standard, forging a different path can end up being the best way forward for businesses for several reasons.

Firstly, creating a bespoke standard only applicable to that company allows the ultimate flexibility. Though third-party standards are usually comprehensive and wide-ranging, they may not include a specific element a company wants to focus on as they work toward their environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals.

Before pursuing a voluntary certification, it is also worth noting that many companies have already begun to implement methodologies, resources, and systems to increase and manage their sustainability efforts. If these help the business run efficiently and in a manner befitting a socially responsible business, the advantage may outweigh the PR generated by seeking third-party claim validation.

A client-prescribed standard in action

Another example of a client-prescribed standard being useful is when a company faces intense media backlash and must take immediate action to improve its reputation.

A past example is when a winter jacket producer was accused of using feathers from live-plucked geese, a practice that causes the birds intense pain and distress. To combat this claim, the producer wanted to demonstrate that the down used in its jackets was not sourced in this way and ensure that its supply chain would remain free from any such practice.

Without a third-party certification to help the company verify its claim, the producer, alongside a Certification Body, instead developed a standard to prove that all its down comes from geese who have been properly handled throughout their lifetime and that no live plucking has taken place.

From the hatcheries to the slaughterhouses, the new standard made it clear that all parties involved in the production of down jackets had to secure the integrity of separation and traceability of compliant products.

The standard was later implemented across the entire supply chain, with assessments conducted to ensure it was being duly implemented at all production stages. The resulting report highlighted that the producer was taking the necessary precautions to eliminate any negative impact on animal welfare. Beyond this, a trademark is now displayed on the tag of each jacket to assure customers that the apparel they are buying has been produced using a fully compliant down supply chain.

Our role in client-prescribed standards

As discussed in the case study, Control Union Certifications can work with brands to develop and audit unique standards. And unlike our third-party certification services where we must remain independent from a standard’s design and development, with client-prescribed standards, we can get involved from the beginning of the process.

Offering support and second-party verification, we help you bring together your processes, systems, and values to develop a comprehensive, scalable, and sustainable standard that allows you to add proof to your promise in a way that is unique to your organization and its goals.

For more information on how to get started, contact a member of our expert team.