Your Ecolabel Journey

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• The ECA will conduct an initial review of your application and documentation to ensure your product or service appears to conform to the relevant Standard. This is referred to as the Pre-Certification Phase (PCP)

• If the PCP is successful, it does not automatically result in certification.  It does indicate that the product or service is likely to conform to the relevant standard based on the documentation and information provided.

• Should the PCP be unsuccessful, ECA will discuss the reasons for this finding with you and provide guidance on where you could improve compliance.  You will need to restart the process based on the need to meet the prescribed standards and the comments received from ECA.

• Following a successful PCP, ECA will review product documentation and the independent laboratory report and in some cases may conduct on-site visits to verify compliance to all criteria within the ECA standard.  Each on-site visit that may be required will be charged separately by ECA.

• Based on the independent report and review of documentation (and perhaps on-site reviews), your application may be approved and you will receive your Licence from ECA.  Where any element of conformance is not fully complied with – and is not regarded as substantially non-compliant by ECA, you may be afforded a defined period of time in which to meet the standard.  In this event, your Licence may be awarded subject to certain conditions.

• All information about your product remains confidential information between the applicant and the ECA.

 

and..

 

• All independent laboratory fees and charges are for the applicant’s account.  Only laboratories accredited through SANAS or its international equivalent – and appropriate to the nature of the Licence being sought, may be used for this purpose.  At the sole discretion of ECA - and based on the availability of independent, qualified laboratories, in-house or affiliated laboratories may be used for this purpose.

• On-site review or audit fees will depend on the nature of the facility being audited; the distance from Centurion (Pretoria) and the need for accommodation or meals.  In each case, these will be negotiated with the applicant prior to being undertaken..

• Where your product already holds an international ecolabel, ECA will accept the testing and audit results of the issuing body only if they are members of GEN and the ecolabel is current and valid.  In this case, the applicant must submit a certified copy of the original certificate, licence number; details of the issuing body and a certified copy of the relevant testing laboratory report.​