ISO 9001 quality certification: Naturalpes breaks new ground in the Swiss legal cannabis industry

In February 2022, 85% of CBD-containing products tested by Swiss cantonal chemists were found to be non-compliant. 73 products were banned from sale because "customer safety could not be guaranteed". The importance of implementing a quality approach and organizing work in an irreproachable way is becoming essential for companies marketing these products. This is the approach taken by Naturalpes, one of Switzerland's leading suppliers of legal CBD.

In a nationwide campaign, the Association of Swiss Cantonal Chemists (ACCS) examined 100 different foods containing cannabis or claiming to contain CBD. In a press release issued on February 1, it established that the sellers of these foodstuffs were not fulfilling their legal obligations of self-control, or were doing so only to a very limited extent. As a result, they are "failing to protect consumers".

The 73 products withdrawn from sale for safety reasons were marketed by Swiss companies competing with Naturalpes. According to the ACCS, 28 of these products presented a "proven health risk".

The most striking aspect of these analysis results is the non-compliance of almost all CBD oils containing cannabis extracts with a high cannabidiol content. In fact, out of 46 products analyzed, 43 were challenged and are now subject to either a sales ban or product recall.

On the contrary, in order to protect Swiss consumers, Naturalpes has opted for a demanding quality approach, ISO 9001:2015 certification, and will begin this in-depth work in the course of 2020.

And the results are in: following this national study, Naturalpes is one of the 3 companies whose products have not been banned from sale. 

What is ISO 9001 certification?

Of course, product traceability and quality remain essential guarantees of the end product's compliance with legal requirements. 

But what the results of this national campaign also show is the identification of two key elements that a company should integrate into its development. These are to guarantee consumer safety and customer satisfaction through :

• building an efficient company organization
• precise monitoring of changes in current legislation and legal requirements, thanks to a regulatory watch.

These are the two objectives - building an efficient organization and keeping abreast of regulations- that ISO 9001 certification can help to achieve.

To achieve this, our internationally recognized quality approach is based on a number of principles explained in the document Quality Management Principles: 

• a strong customer focus,
• management motivation and commitment,
• process approach,
• product quality assurance,
• and continuous improvement. 

What does this quality process involve?

The ISO approach is both demanding and renowned. The first step is to choose one of the independent bodies accredited by the standard. This organization will carry out an initial audit to measure the gap between the standard's requirements and the company's practices.

The aim is then to modify practices and meet legal requirements by putting in place procedures and instructions that will guarantee quality and its sustainability. All these requirements are structured into 7 categories:

• Management
• Purchasing
• Production
• Sales
• Distribution
• After-sales service
• Support

Trusted support

To assist with this documentation work and the internal structuring of the organization, Naturalpes commissioned Alcane Conseils, a Lausanne-based firm specializing in assisting companies, individuals and public administrations in controlling their production and operating systems. 

"It took hundreds of instructions, procedures, documents and over 400 hours of work to achieve certification."

Philippe Perreten, Audit & Quality System Manager, Alcane Conseils

Purchasing, management, processes... It's all about controlling and documenting "everything that comes in and everything that goes out of a company", from machine control to management and server structuring.

Standardization and documentation: the 2 ISO pillars

The company is proceeding with a global and systematic standardization of procedures. Philippe Perreten gives the example of the sealing machine (the machine used to close the sachets containing Naturalpes products), which has undergone a process change. The aim is to use the right sealing technique every time, and to ensure repeatability of pouch closure, so as to guarantee the absence of air bubbles and contamination after closure. This information is documented, enabling future employees to use the machine efficiently.

On September 8, 2021, following a certification audit, Naturalpes was certified by SGS. A surveillance audit then takes place every year for 3 years to ensure that quality is maintained. And the audit that takes place in year number 3 is more consequential than the others, as it concerns the award of a new certificate for a further 3-year period.

What are the benefits?

Being ISO 9001:2015 certified has enabled Naturalpes to become a benchmark player, not in volume and abundance, but in precision and quality.

For Naturalpes : clear, untroubled marketing

Time savings, constant product conformity with legal requirements, systematization of task responsibilities, constant documentation accessible to employees... The benefits of a quality approach are numerous. 

Internally, this translates, according to Henri Klunge, founder and director of Alcane Conseils, into "systematic action on who does what, when and how. "

"This ensures the reliability of the products and services provided. Better internal organization also saves the company valuable time by increasing efficiency."

Henri Klunge, founder and director of Alcane Conseils

For Naturalpes, putting the regulatory body at the heart of the company's interests was the essential condition for the clear, untroubled marketing of "made in Switzerland" products.

For Naturalpes customers: the assurance of quality products

As a customer looking for a product containing CBD (oil, herbal tea, flowers, etc.), it can be difficult to find your way around, as the range of products on offer has grown enormously. One thing's for sure: you need to go for a company you can trust, capable of informing you about the raw materials (extraction and processing sites), the processes, the CBD and THC content of the products, etc.

It is therefore in the customer's best interest to turn to a company such as Naturalpes, which has made organizational quality and product conformity a central part of its business, and is recognized for this through quality certification.

It's the assurance of health and serenity.

Written by Naturalpes

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