Does the program allow mills to perform regulatory and analytical testing?

No. Regulatory, Flammability, Fiber Content and Chemical testing MUST be performed by an independent lab.

Many of the analytical tests are regulatory. To conduct most of the analytical testing, it requires very expensive equipment and a high level of expertise to operate and maintain. Doing this testing is typically cost prohibitive for a mill to purchase, set up and maintain. For the US market, most of the regulatory tests do (or will soon) require certification based on independent third party testing by approved CPSC labs. This CPSC approval can be obtained by first party labs but the labs must be accredited to ISO 17025 and have special "fire walled" provisions in place as outlined by the CPSIA. Again, this is usually cost prohibitive for a mill to do.

Mills under the lab endorsement program?

We have been perform lab endorsement services for mills supplying factories who sell to a number of the leading brands and retailers in Americas and Europe for a number of years now, the difference in the Mill Improvement Program is the packaging together with other products to make a total solution focused on reducing time to market and costs whilst improving quality and social controls. Collectively, the Mill Improvement Program focuses on continual improvement.

Some of the leading fabric suppliers in the world are recognized under the Bureau Veritas Lab Endorsement & Assessment Program.

How long is the certificate valid for?

The certificate is valid for one year, after which a re-audit and another correlation test needs to be performed to maintain the validity.

Can I add test capabilities throughout the year?

Yes, however, another audit and correlation test will be required.

Quality and process control assessment what is it based on?

The program uses the generic Bureau Veritas Factory Assessment program as it's base, however, we have developed the program to reflect the processes within a mill with specific sections covering spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing and printing.

How long does an assessment take?

The vast majority of mills will take 2 days.

What is the time period between when my mill will be audited again?

When does the follow-up audit need to be done if we have to make corrective actions?
It depends upon the nature of the corrective action, we recommend significant actions should be addressed and assessed 1 month post audit, high non-compliances 3 months and medium non-compliances 6 months after audit. It should be noted these are recommendations only. An annual re-audit is also required to maintain validity.