As one of the few certification bodies using both the European and US standards in system certification, and as one of the few organisations able to perform the ISO/TS 16949 certification for the car industry, Vinçotte is currently one of the leading international certification bodies for system, product and personal certification.
With our global network and local offices, we can be of service to you anywhere: as IQNet partner Vinçotte has registrations, protocols and agreements as a result of which its inspection and certification services are recognised all over the world. Wherever you are, our auditors speak your language and have the sectoral know-how you want.
What’s more, Vinçotte offers a one-stop-shopping concept for your integrated management system, which avoids you having to choose a different certification body for every service. We can help you with:
Vinçotte is faced with fresh challenges day after day. As an example, a Flemish environmental protection agency decided in the early 1990s to float the idea of using compostable bags to collect organic waste. As there were so many suppliers all saying they were able to provide compostable bags, Vinçotte was called in to check how true the compostability claims were. Adopting a proactive attitude towards the assignment, Vinçotte discovered a new need, developing the OK compost certification programme in the light of consultations held with specialists in various disciplines. Consequently, Vinçotte was well ahead of any other developments in the sector.
Vinçotte pays constant attention to the CEN during the development of the European standards. Hence it also kept abreast of the process for developing a European standard for compostable packaging (EN 13432). Under this heading, the OK compost certification was consistent with EN 13432 as soon as it was adopted in 2000. All OK compost certified products are therefore completely in step with the requirements of the European standard EN 13432.
OK compost is a guarantee of compostability in an industrial composting plant. But what about guaranties for home compostable products? Or products that can decompose in earth or water? Vinçotte's OK environment product verification marks are the only ones of their kind to offer a customised certification label for each biodegradation environment. These labels both consistently complement each and are extendible.
Composting can reduce the volume of organic waste quite significantly, while the compost produced can be used for agricultural and horticultural purposes. About 50% of all domestic waste comprises organic material, a percentage that is set to grow in the future owing to the growing popularity of biodegradable products (packaging material, disposable cutlery and plates, …).
Packaging or products featuring the OK compost label are guaranteed as biodegradable in an industrial composting plant. This applies to all components, inks and additives. The sole reference point for the certification programme is the harmonised EN 13432: 2000 standard: in any event any product featuring the OK compost logo complies with the requirements of the EU Packaging Directive ( 94/62/EEC).
Owing to the comparatively smaller volume of waste involved, the temperature in a garden compost heap is clearly lower and less constant than in an industrial composting environment. This is why composting in the garden is a more difficult, slower-paced process.
Vinçotte’s innovative answer to this challenge was to develop OK compost HOME to guarantee complete biodegradability in the light of specific requirements, even in your garden compost heap.
The OK Compost Home certificate is now the basis for registration for home compostability for the British organization “Association for Organics Recycling” in the UK.
Nowhere is done as much on home composting as in the UK. It's a good thing that also bioplastics and related materials after use find their way into the British compost heaps. This brings however, the demand for clarity along: who guarantees that these materials really are compostable?
The British “Association for Organics Recycling” offers all businesses the opportunity to register their wares into a central database for home compostable products. The requirements to comply with this registration? Submitting a valid OK compost HOME certificate. The compost OK HOME certificate and registration at AfOR can also be requested simultaneously.
OK compost is a guarantee of compostability in an industrial composting plant. But what about guaranties for home compostable products? Or products that can decompose in earth or water? Vinçotte's OK environment product verification marks are the only ones of their kind to offer a customised certification label for each biodegradation environment. These labels both consistently complement each and are extendible.
Vinçotte's specialists have not been idle: via the new and unique "OK biobased" certification system, innovative manufacturers can have their declarations regarding the use of renewable raw materials officially confirmed by an independentt "OK biobased" certification.
Vinçotte announces proudly the first OK biobased certificates of a whole range of raw materials. The first licensee holders are each located in a different continent: Asia, America and Europe.
As active drivers for sustainable development, multiple companies are proactively searching for alternatives to fossil-based raw materials. Several manufacturers are making synthetic materials using as their base starch, cellulose, lactic acid, “bacterial fat”, etc. By so doing, these companies contribute in an innovative manner to resolving the economic and environmental problem of fossil fuels and greenhouse gases.
As a result of the increased environmental awareness among customers, there is a growing market for products on a basis of renewable raw materials. And that environmentally conscious motivation on the part of customers is exactly the reason why there is a need for an independent, high-quality guarantee of the renewability of raw materials. The “OK biobased” certification meets that need perfectly.
In contrast to LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), the investigation method behind the OK biobased certification is very simple and the exact value can be precisely and scientifically measured and calculated. This renders checks and re-checks very transparent and also allows “apples to be compared with apples” with the greatest ease.
On a basis of the determined percentage of renewable raw materials (% Bio-based), your product can be certified as one-star-bio-based, two-star-bio-based, three-star-bio-based or four-star-bio-based.
There is more than meets the eye in "biodegradation"! An entire army of microorganisms attacks the material to be broken down and the army differs according to the environment (the specific temperature, moisture content, pH, supply of oxygen, etc.) where biodegradation occurs.
A product's application determines the ideal biodegradation environment. Accordingly, Belgium has already introduced a law to decide that packaging may not be presented as biodegradable. After all, the idea is not to have packaging spread around on a massive scale like litter because it is "biodegradable". Vinçotte's specialists support the idea of this legislation – applied only in Belgium for the time being – and are able to specify the correct biodegradation environment for your products thanks to their verification marks.
Biodegradability in the soil offers huge benefits for agricultural and horticultural products, as they can be left to break down in situ after being used. The OK biodegradable SOIL label is a guarantee a product will completely biodegrade in the soil without adversely affecting the environment.
Products certified for OK Biodegradable WATER guarantee biodegradation in a natural fresh water environment, and thus substantially contribute to the reduction of waste in rivers, lakes or any natural fresh water. Note that this not automatically guarantees biodegradation in marine waters.
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