ZDHC Verified In Check - Level 1, Improving Chemical Management in the Supply Chain

ZDHC's InCheck solution can be used by all suppliers who use and store chemicals on site. Due to the fact that the inventory uploaded by suppliers and used to generate Performance InCheck reports has not been reviewed, approved, inspected, verified, or evaluated by ZDHC or any third party, ZDHC has introduced a verification component called Verified InCheck to verify the overall integrity and accuracy of chemicals in supplier chemical inventory, enhancing confidence in the Performance InCheck reports generated by suppliers.

Verified InCheck - Level 1 Verification Process

1. Suppliers generate three Performance InCheck reports for each of the three consecutive months or each quarter of the previous quarter before the validation begins.

2. Supplier contacts and designates ASCP for on-site verification.

3. ASCP validators conduct on-site visits to suppliers and verify according to the corresponding procedures.

4. The verifier completes the verification process and prepares the verification result file for Verified InCheck - Level 1.

Method of on-site verification

The method used for on-site verification depends on the size of the chemical inventory in the Performance InCheck report.

When the inventory of chemicals is less than (<) 30 chemicals, use Type1.

When the inventory of chemicals is equal to or greater than (≥) 30 chemicals, use Type 2.

Type1

The verifier checks the chemical inventory shared by each supplier in the past three Performance InCheck reports, and only performs Type1 verification when the quantity of chemicals in all three reports is less than 30.

Then, the verifier selects the Performance InCheck report with the highest number of chemicals listed and verifies all chemicals listed in its inventory. That is to say, if Report 1 lists 17 chemicals, Report 2 lists 25 chemicals, and Report 3 lists 26 chemicals, the verifiershould verify all chemicals listed in Report 3 on site.

Type2

The verifier will follow the checklist during verification, rather than selecting one of the chemical lists uploaded by the supplier.

This checklist evaluates the accuracy and completeness of the chemical inventory uploaded by the supplier for the Performance InCheck report. Randomly inspect and confirm the chemicals uploaded by the supplier in the past three Performance InCheck reports. Due to the relatively complex process of Type2, the editor will provide more detailed explanations for everyone in the later tweets.

Notes for Verifier Preparation Checklist

1. Suppliers are required to provide copies of inventory details uploaded from three Performance InCheck reports for the selected period (three consecutive months or a maximum of three quarters), which the verifier will carry for on-site visits.

2. The verifier determines the inventory size of the supplier based on the list of each Performance InCheck report and conducts on-site verification according to the Type 1 or Type 2 inventory plan.

3. Before visiting the factory, use the inventory list to select the chemicals to be verified for a random inspection of Type 2 inventory size, in order to represent different processes and chemical types in random sampling.

4. Before visiting the factory, request a site map of the factory that clearly indicates/highlights the location of all chemical warehouses. The map should outline all production processes in the factory.

5. Before the on-site inspection, briefly introduce the document requirements (including the availability of Safety Data Sheets (SDS), Formula Tables, and Inventory Registers) to the supplier for verification.

6. By reviewing documents, recording, and physically identifying each chemical name through labels on chemical drums, SDS, and other relevant documents, ensure objective validation of inspection parameters. In some cases, confirming chemical names may be achallenge due to differences in local languages and product names in ZDHC gateways. In this case, the validator may decide to evaluate the confirmation at their own discretion.

7. Select chemicals as inspection parameters (for Type 2 process chemical inventory) to ensure they do not overlap and are unique.

8. Do not place free samples or rejected/expired products in stores or Type 2 facilities.

9. During on-site verification (with factory permission), the verifier takes photos, scans, or copies of documents, chemical labels, or any other evidence, and keeps them for internal recordingand reference.

Verification results

If the total score reaches or exceeds 80%, the verification is passed.

Mark the supplier's account in the ZDHC gateway chemistry module to prove successfulverification. The supplier logs into the ZDHC gateway account and confirms using the Verified InCheck –Level 1 tag on the configuration file page. Through this method, the brand connected to the supplier in the ZDHC gateway can see this mark in the supplier's profile.

If the total score is below 80%, the verification will not pass, and the supplier can choose to perform the verification again at a later time.