The EcoControl quality policy
EcoControl’s quality policy is based on the following principles:
- EcoControl strives to cooperate in networks. The use of auditors by multiple entities promotes independence, reduces conflicts of interest, and increases the experience of individual auditors.
- EcoControl operates with the lowest possible fixed costs. Thus, there are only home offices.
- EcoControl is independent, self-financed and does not receive any financial support of any kind.
EcoControl has sustainable management as its goal. The following factors contribute to this:
- Use auditors as local as possible and combine audit tours.
- Appropriate pay, which should take into account family situations.
- Fair, individual treatment of customers, search for individual solutions without undermining the quality requirements and procedural specifications.
- Standards that EcoControl certifies should always be in the area of organic production in the broadest sense. There is no specification of raw material quality, as long as the aspect of sustainability is observed (e.g. plastic made from mineral oil is initially a natural raw material, as are minerals. These are also finite and can only be recovered through recycling).
Team
Dr. Ulrike Harant
General Manager
Beate Berghoff
Evaluation, documentation, raw material certification/approval, auditing
Carmen Holtz
Administration, book keeping, audit planning
Maria Plesch-Heiming
Evaluation, documentation, raw material approval/certification
Petra Meyer
Customer support, administration, raw material approval, evaluation
Karolina Anna Brychcy
Evaluation, documentation, raw material approval/certification
Backgrounds and experience
The EcoControl processes and know-how are based on the decades of experience of Dr. Joachim Banzhaf, the former managing director of EcoControl.
In the field of eco-certification, we have over 25 years of experience in worldwide inspections and in setting up certification bodies. All this experience flows into EcoControl’s work.
Following the takeover of EcoControl by ABCERT AG, 20 years of experience from the natural cosmetics industry now merge with over 30 years of experience from the organic food industry.
Accreditation
EcoControl is not a control body according to Regulation (EU) 2018/848
Why is that?
Regulation (EU) 2018/848 applies to unprocessed agricultural products and livestock (and in the future also aquaculture), as well as to food and feed.
Certification bodies can only be recognized under Regulation (EU) 2018/848 or refer to this regulation in their activities if they certify products that fall within the scope mentioned above. For example, extracts, flavors, and essential oils do not fall under Regulation (EU) 2018/848 when they are processed into cosmetics.
Flavors and essential oils are treated in Regulation (EU) 2018/848 as non-agricultural ingredients and therefore cannot be certified under this regulation. They are regulated under Directive 88/388/EEC on flavorings. Certification “by analogy” to Regulation (EU) 2018/848 is not permitted.
EcoControl certifies those processed products that may originate from certified organic production but do not fall within the scope of any regulation for organic products. Therefore, EcoControl, like any other certification body, cannot issue labels in this area.