Statement of Impartiality

GCL INTL or any GCL INTL partner shall NOT under any circumstance:

• Provide management system consultancy which includes: preparation or production of manuals or procedures, or give specific advice, instructions or solutions towards the development, structure and implementation of a quality management system, environmental management systems and food safety management system.
• Certify a quality management system, environmental management systems, food safety management system on which it provides any consultancy.
• Offer certification when relationships that threaten impartiality cannot be eliminated or minimised.
• Certify another certification body for management systems.
• Certify a client when a relationship with a management systems consultancy poses an unacceptable threat to impartiality.
• Provide an internal audit service to any certified clients.
• Outsource any audits to a management consultancy company involved in management systems as described with the scope of these scheme rules.
• Have within any marketing materials any linkage to management system consultancy.
• Not allocate any auditor(s) to audit any Social Accountability Scheme where the auditor(s) have also provided training for company requesting the audit.
• Be directly involved in the design, manufacture or construction, the marketing, installation, use or maintenance of products, nor represent the parties engaged in those activities.
• Engage in any activity that may conflict with independence of judgement or integrity in relation to conformity assessment under notification.
• Pay auditors and/or inspectors on the basis of the number of audits and/or inspections undertaken.

For any threats to impartiality that are discovered or reported, then the impartiality committee shall be informed and responses shall be made and communicated.