What are the key points and difficulties in GRS certification?

1. Social criteria, which apply to any link in the GRS certification chain and start from the waste collection station. This also means that the supplier of waste is not yet within the scope of certification. The standard is working to extend the social criteria to the supply chain of waste collection stations for recycling purposes.

1) Guidelines on workers’ rights:

The employment relationship must be based on national laws and policies.

Workers have the right to leave the company after giving reasonable notice.

No compulsory or bonded labor is permitted in certified companies.

Identity documents or (monthly) deposits should not be held by the certified company.

Any form of abuse or threat of abuse, as well as any physical or psychological punishment, is prohibited.

Wages should be paid according to the weekly work standard and shall not be lower than the national statutory standards or the benchmark wages stipulated by the industry.

Certified companies shall not deduct any form of wages from workers unless the deduction is permitted or required by national law.

Workers should also know the details of their wages each time they are paid (for example, through a pay slip or registration form).

Certified companies should have a recruitment policy that prohibits the termination of employment or dismissal of workers based on race, class, nationality, region, age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, community affiliation, or political beliefs.

Appropriate procedures shall be established and, where appropriate, action shall be taken to ensure that workers’ representatives are not discriminated against. These representatives shall have access to relevant persons and facilities to carry out their representative duties.

Certified companies should grant all workers the right to freely join or form trade unions and to actively negotiate on wage issues.

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2) Guidelines on worker health and safety:

Measures to deal with any possible risks in the working environment.

Certified companies are required to submit a recent written assessment of their workplace safety and health risks.

Certified companies must appoint a senior manager to be responsible for all health, safety and training matters.

All workers must wear appropriate protective clothing (protective masks, shoes, gloves) and these clothing must be purchased or rented at the expense of the certified company.

The certified company must have a current written health, safety and hygiene qualification manual that includes the risk assessment issues mentioned above, such as accident and emergency procedures, hygiene procedures, etc.

2. GRS certification environment, environmental management guidelines:

Certified companies must have an environmental policy manual. The manual must contain:

The responsible person of the registered company; documented procedures for minimizing and monitoring waste and emissions;

Procedures for what actions a registered company should take in the event of a wastewater incident;

There must also be documented employee training on water and energy conservation, appropriate use and minimization of chemicals, and correct disposal of chemicals. The manual must also include improvement plans adopted to address the above issues.

Certified companies must maintain a comprehensive documentation of chemical, energy, water consumption and wastewater treatment, including the handling of wastewater sediments.

Wastewater that has not been treated shall not be discharged, but the following treatment methods may be used:

The wastewater does not contain any additives and should be cooled to below 40℃/104℉ before discharge.

Wastewater with a pH value less than 6 and greater than 9 should be neutralized until it is between the above limits.

Wastewater treatment within the company - Wastewater treatment by local authorities.

Third, traceability is very critical.

The source of recycled materials in your factory must comply with the traceability in the GRS standard. Are the recycled materials purchased? Or are they scraps from the production process? If they are purchased, you need to provide purchase proof, such as purchase invoices, TC certificates, supplier qualifications, etc. How these materials are put into production during the production process, how the factory manages from the entry of raw materials to shipment, and many other aspects are considered from hardware, software, and personnel training.

　　In short, in order to meet the GRS certification requirements, environment, social responsibility and traceability are indispensable.