CHSA accreditation scheme 'has never been more important'

Figures revealing the levels of abuse being perpetrated by non-members of the Cleaning & Hygiene Suppliers’ Association (CHSA) Manufacturing Standard Accreditation Scheme were unveiled at the scheme’s AGM recently.

52.4% of samples from non-members were not correctly labelled and 24.2% of samples were over 10% deficient in the stated length. This compared to 3.9% of routine samples from members being incorrectly labelled and 1.4% being over 5% deficient in length. No routine samples from scheme members were over 10% deficient.

“This year we have seen an increase in the scale of abuse amongst non- members,” said Graham Fletcher, secretary of the CHSA, as he addressed the AGM. “I believe that now more than ever the Manufacturing Accreditation Scheme has a crucial role to play, giving buyers the confidence that they are getting what they are paying for. A quick glance at these figures proves that it is a valuable and effective self-regulating scheme.”

The challenging macro-economic environment has been the driving force behind disreputable suppliers increasingly cutting corners to the detriment of distributors and end users. At the AGM, the scheme’s auditor, Gordon Butt, provided a review of the abuses to which buyers need to be alert. He said: “We have seen a clear jump in the number and extent of deficiencies amongst non-members. They are reducing the number of sheets, shaving a little off the width or length of each sheet; in some cases the net efficiencies are as high as 20%. There’s no legal requirement to label the dimensions of the product and some suppliers are exploiting this. They’ll tell you the number of sheets but not the dimensions - if this is the case you can’t possibly know if something you have always understood to be one size has suddenly ‘shrunk’.”

Against this backdrop, buyers of plastic refuse sacks, industrial cotton mops and paper products need to be careful.

“The only way they can be certain to get what they pay for is to buy from Manufacturing Standard Accreditation Scheme members,” concluded Graham Fletcher. “Members of the CHSA are audited annually and so buyers can completely trust the Manufacturing Accreditation Scheme’s logo.”

www.chsa.co.uk