At NatraTex, we are very proud of our products and the work we do to ensure that they maintain their consistent high quality. In order to ensure this, we have undertaken work to gain certain certifications from various governing bodies. In a previous article, we wrote about the ISO 9001 certification.
In this article, we will be going over the BES 6001 certification. Our aim will be to demonstrate to you, our customers, the hard work we are doing to ensure the high quality of our products, ensuring that your coloured playground, driveway and surface are as high quality as possible.
What is the BES 6001?
Quite simply, BES 6001 is a set of specifications created by the British Standards Institute (or BSI) to ensure that construction companies – which NatraTex is in some respects – maintain strict standards of quality in regards to their construction materials.
In particular, our efforts to comply with the BES 6001 means that our products have been made from appropriately sourced materials, and not from third-rate suppliers. This standard creates a standardised framework to ensure that supply chain management, environmental aspects, social aspects, and organisational governance are addressed. It does this in three key sections: organisational management, supply chain management, and the management of sustainable development.
Organisational Management
In this section of the BES 6001, the focus is on how a company manages key operational considerations. It is further divided into four sub-sections. These are:
Responsible Sourcing Policy
The company must make a policy statement, followed at all levels, to follow ethical and responsible principles of outsourcing, as outlined in the BES 6001
Legal Compliance
The company makes efforts to follow all local, national and international laws.
Quality Management System & Operational
The company’s documented management system has been developed and assessed by an independent assessor, and actively supports the company’s efforts to source responsible materials.
Supplier Management System
The company’s documented management system for its purchasing projects, including its process for approving suppliers, is well evaluated. In particular, passing the Supplier Management portion of the BES 6001 requires that companies which use input materials from outside the European Union or from companies which do not adhere to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises must undertake a assessment, in order to ensure that these companies adhere to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
Supply Chain Management
This section concentrates on ensuring that the materials sourced have proper certification. They are assessed throughout the entirety of the supply chain process to the supplier responsible for the following:
- The extraction of raw materials
- The recovery of recycled materials
- The production of by-products
- The processing of chemicals
As with the previous section, Supply Chain Management is divided into three sub-sections. Each one of these has compulsory components. These sub-sections are:
Material Traceability
In this section, the identification and traceability of materials is assed. There are several different ways of demonstrating this. One is through the successful attainment of ISO 9001 certification (which NatraTex has achieved). The other method is to produce an independently verified full chain of custody for your product materials.
Environmental Management System
To pass the Environmental Management System component of the BES 6001, a company must, at the very minimum, be able to trace its materials back to companies with established and independently audited Environmental Management Systems. Additional points can be added in this section if the company in question has also been certified to the ISO 14001 – which NatraTex has.
Health and Safety Management System
As with the previous section, in order to pass the Health and Safety Management System component of the BES 6001 the company being assessed that it sources its materials from companies with an established and independently audited Health and Safety Management System.
Management of Sustainable Development
In the final section of the BES 6001, the social, environmental and economic indicators of a particular company are assessed. This module has a number of compulsory and non-compulsory indicators. The compulsory elements of this module, which must be passed, are:
- Life Cycle Assistant
- Transport Impacts
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Resource Use
- Water Abstraction
- Employment and Skills
- Local Communities
- Waste Prevention and Waste Management
The non-compulsory indicators are:
- Energy use
- Ecotoxity
- Business Ethics
In order to achieve in this section, companies must achieve the following:
- Establish a sustainable development policy
- Set objectives and achievable targets for that policy
- Report Freely to all stakeholders on how these targets and objectives have been achieved (if they have)
- Have the previous points verified by a third party
Contact NatraTex Today
Having accomplished all the compulsory requirements, as well as several non-compulsory requirements, NatraTex has achieved full BES 6001 certification. This means that when ordering your new surface from NaraTex – whether that be school surfacing or coloured paving for your driveway – you can do so knowing that the quality of our operations has been independently verified.
For more information on our decorative paving and coloured hard landscaping products, get in touch with NatraTex today.
