Audits – the way to better environmental information
IVL’s subsidiary Basta is working to phase out hazardous substances from building- and construction products. Today, almost 500 Swedish and international manufacturers are connected to the system and the database contains over 170,000 building- and construction products that meet Basta’s high environmental requirements.
As a quality control, Basta applies an auditing system with third-party auding – this lends structure to BASTAs work towards phasing out hazardous substances in building and construction produkts.
– The strength of Basta is that we give companies tools and support in the work of phasing out hazardous substances from their products. The audits are our way of checking the information in the database, but just as important is the help that companies receive to structure and find effective working methods, says Sussi Wetterlin, CEO of Basta.
Basta’s requirements regarding chemical content go further than the legislation, but are based on the Swedish Chemicals Agency’s Prio guide and the CLP and REACH regulations. The manufacturers and producers connected to the system are responsible for documenting the chemical content of their products and then to check the content against Basta’s different criteria levels. The products are then registered in an open and public database. The database is one of the largest in the industry and it currently contains over 170,000 building- and construction articles. The system also has a digital tool for logbooks.
As a quality control, the Basta system applies an auditing system with third-party audits. The audit checks the companies’ documentation and assessment data, but just as important is the verification of the competence of the person who is registering products in the system and the routines that the company has.
To help, Basta has several experienced external auditors who follow a worksheet where more than 20 different points are checked.
– The companies we visit are often positive and ambitious, but we also see a need for them to get help in structuring their work to get better control over their product content. We also have the opportunity to audit the companies’ subcontractors as they also have a lot of content information. This gives us as auditors an opportunity to ensure quality at a satisfactory level, says Johanna Wachtmeister from the company Trossa, a long-time auditor in Basta.
As Basta goes beyond the legislation and places great demands on detailed information about the chemical content of goods, materials and chemical products, the audit work becomes even more important because it also takes into account confidential information and intellectual property rights.
– We have been connected to the Basta system for many years and have been audited several times. We have a strong environmental focus in all our work and Basta’s audits have been an important part in ensuring the quality of the part which is related to chemical content, says Åsa Lidström, sustainability and quality manager at the company Camfil.
Today, Basta has performed almost 600 audits and re-audits.
– Companies must continue to focus on chemical content and Basta is here to ensure that the information maintains the high level that the market requires and expects, says Sussi Wetterlin.
For more information contact:
Paulina Rode-Kemlo, paulina.rodekemlo@ivl.se, tel. 010-788 66 53