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Plastic Free Certification SBRL (hereafter PFC) can utilize intermediary agencies and/or freelance professionals to provide consultancy services on certification processes under the Plastic Free Standard - Management System. Consultancy agencies deliver consulting services, support, and guidance while PFC provides certification services, auditing, and access to a digital monitoring platform. Consultants assist clients in the periodic monitoring of KPIs and all other relevant aspects in compliance with the PFS-S, offering suitable support up to the execution of the audit and subsequent certificate issuance, handled by PFC.

The agency's consultants ensure the following minimum services to organizations seeking certification:

• Assistance in understanding the Standard, its application, and managing monitoring tools.
• Support in using the platform.
• Guidance through certification processes and management of dedicated communications.
• Support in monitoring process timelines to ensure compliance with the Certification Process.

Additionally, the consultancy agency may provide additional services related to the plastic free pathway and agree accordingly with the end client. For instance:

• Additional consultancy to deepen understanding of the Standard and its application;
• Specific consultancy on alternatives to single-use plastics with extensive research of applicable solutions;
• Support in planning the adjustment of business processes aimed at applying the identified solutions;
• Support for internal compliance checks (internal audit);
• Preliminary compliance check (surveillance audit).
• Training activities for the final client’s staff and employees.

REQUIREMENTS FOR CONSULTANCY AGENCIES

It is required that the partner organization shares the principles described in the PFC code of conduct and that consulting professionals are adequately trained and master the knowledge of the Standard and certification processes.

The minimum training for Consultants involves a course that will enable the individual to support companies in the certification processes. At the end of the training path, the consultant will be enabled to support organizations in the certification processes and to provide the minimum consultancy services described above.

Subsequently, the consultant will have the opportunity to delve deeper into the topics with an additional course for consultants, which will provide the consultant with more tools to also deliver the additional services described above.

The courses are activated with a minimum of 3 participants and a maximum of 10, and can be conducted both online and in-person.

At the end of the course, a certificate of attendance will be issued, and participants will be entered into the PFC’s Register of qualified consultants, which may make the names of the professionals public. In order to maintain their qualification over time, Plastic Free consultants are required to participate in refresher courses whenever Plastic Free Certification deems it necessary, at least once a year.

TRAINING FOR CONSULTANTS

The training program is structured as follows:

Basic Course

Lesson 1 (2 hours): Interactive reading of the Plastic Free Standard - Management System and Plastic Free Certification’s strategy for reducing plastics;

Lesson 2 (2 hours): The certification process, interactive reading of the guidelines, monitoring processes, and management on the digital platform;

Lesson 3 (2 hours): Insights on plastic materials and alternatives (The problem of plastics; Types of recyclable plastics; Compostable solutions).

Supplementary Course

Lesson 4 (2 hours): Focus on Plastic Free Good Practices and in-depth on available compostable alternatives;

Lesson 5 (2 hours): Simulation of managing a Monitoring File for a hypothetical client.

Contact us to learn more.