TheMSC Chain of Custody Standard

Offer

Customer name and address

Reference person

Date, Place

Object: the MSC Chain of Custody certification –OFFER

The principles of the Marine Stewardship Council Certification indicate that a sustainable fishery should actively:

  • maintain and re-establish healthy populations of the targeted species;
  • maintain the integrity of ecosystems;
  • develop and maintain effective fishery management systems, taking into account all of the relevant biological, technological, economic, social, environmental and commercial aspects;
  • comply with relevant local and national laws, as well as with standards and international understandings and agreements

The aim of the MSC Chain of Custody is to ensure a thorough and efficient product traceability to consumers, by certifying fisheriesas sustainable and well-managed.

With reference totheChain of Custody Application Form of the .../.../..., we would like to thank you for keeping in touch with us.We would also like to sendyou the following Offer for the services you have requested.

  • MSC Chain of Custody certification
  • MSC Chain of Custody post-certification monitoring

On the basis of the basic application, and in consideration of the characteristics of your Organization and of the scope of the certification you are applying for, the assessment will be conducted in compliance with the following discussed and agreed-upon option (See for definitions IS-VCHD-MSC-COC update):

(when filling in this form, the applicable option must be duly completed and the others must be crossed out)

Accredited CoC Certification

OR

Accredited CoC combined audit
As the Organization is already certified, or is in course of certification, against the...... standard, the evaluation for both standards will be combined.
Therefore:
-the audit shall take place within the …/…/... in order to respect the expiry date of the ....certificate
-the audit program will be defined in compliance with the requirements of both standards and contracts
-the date of the combined audit will be agreed upon in concert with the other Certification Body, if applicable
-the program of the combined audit, for the share referred to the DCS Scheme, will be agreed upon with the other Certification Body, if applicable.

OR

Group certification required
The CoC certification will be released to the identified Organization and will be made up as follows:
NAME IDENTIFYING THE GROUP OR MULTI-SITE ORGANIZATION
Composition of the Group:
  • …
  • …
  • …
  • ...

OR

Interim certification
Evaluation carried out in order to submit to MSC the recommendation to issue an interim permission to place fish or fish products into the CoC and/or to use the trademark prior to the on-site assessment.
All of the above, in view of the On-Site Audit, which shall take place no later than three months after the date of the interim certificate issue.
Please note that :
  1. Interim certification shall be issued only upon MSC approval;
  2. the Marine Stewardship Council Organisation is not responsible for any costs associated with lapsing of any interim certificate being obtained,.

OR/AND

ASC(Aquaculture Stewrdship Council)
Scope of theChain of Custody Certification

To obtain MSC Chain of Custody Certificate the organization must demonstrate compliance with the current MSC Chain of Custody Standard and with all relevant elements of Annex BD of MSC Certification Requirement v1: Additional Chain of Custody Requirements (attached to the present Offer)

Sites or other entities under certification
Site name / Full address
Extension of the Chain of Custody
Entry point into the Chain of Custody
(Supplier, State of product) / Exit point from the Chain of Custody
(Marketing channel)
For Group Certification
The Organisation undertakes that:
a)The Group Entity complies with all requirements of MSC Chain of Custody Certification and agrees to be audited by RINA in accordance to the requirements set by the Marine Stewardship Council for the current version of MSC Chain of Custody Standard, and specific requirements for Group Certification (Annex BC MSC Certification Requirements v1.2, January 2012)
b)The Group Entity warrants that will advise RINA of all additions, suspension and withdrawals of sites from the group within specified timeframes.
Timeframe for the assessment
Quotations
Activity / Euros / The quotation price includes:
C o C Certification Assessment / -Application form analysis and acceptance
-Document evaluation
-On-site inspection and audit report
-Certification issue
-Relevant communications to MSC
C o C Post-Certification Monitoring / -Application formanalysis and acceptance
-Document evaluation
-On-site inspection and audit report
-Certification renewal
-Relevant communications to MSC
Auditor expenses
The inspectors’ travel expenses shall be added to the afore-mentioned quotations.
Extra inspection
In addition to the afore-mentioned activity, and in compliance with the Chain of Custody standard and with the certification and assessment methodology, RINA reserves the rights to perform irregularly-timed short-noticed inspections, and/or to request and examine documentation related to the processed product's CoC (e.g. bills of lading), at the following quotations:
  • Euro/man day
The afore-mentioned fee includes the auditors’ travel expenses.
Applicant concerns on inspectors
We would like to inform the applicants that, upon acceptance of the present offer, you will receive communication of the audit program and of the audit team composition. You will then be free to reject an inspector, by means of a written and objective justification based on the directives of the specific instruction (IS-VCHD-MSC-AUDRJ-00), which will be sent to you with the communication of the audit plan and the audit team composition.

Invoices issuing and payment terms and conditions:

Invoices issuing:

  • Certification:
  • 50% of the quotation price at the application acceptance
  • 50% of the quotation price and the auditors’ expenses (if not included) referring to the assessment visit and to further expenses incurred by the auditors, if applicable: at the Audit Report issue
  • Surveillances: quotation price and auditor expenses after the evaluation activity

Payment terms: credit note30 days from invoice issue date

Other conditions:

Please note that certificate holders are allowed to trade only the MSC-certified products listed in the scope of its certificate once the certificate details appear on the MSC website.

The MSC Ecolabel can be used on certified products at the following conditions:

  • once a MSC Ecolabel License Agreement has been signed with MSCI and
  • providing the client complies with the MSC Ecolabel Licensing Agreement.

Certificate holders are to provide information requested to assist in tracebacks conducted by the MSC’s traceback evaluator.

The certificate holder is to agree with RINA that:

If the MSC traceback evaluator‘s requests to submit records of certified material are not met within timeframes required, a request for action by RINA from the MSC traceback evaluator may be sent to RINA.

  • Within 15 days of receiving the request, RINA will work with the certificate holder at the certificate holder‘s expense to verify that the information is present and send a copy of the requested information to the MSC traceback evaluator.
  • If, after the 15 day period above, the information has not been provided to the MSC RINA will raise a Major non-conformity, and, if this is not closed out within a further 15 days, suspension and/or withdrawal of certification will follow.
  • If following any actions by RINA regarding non-provision of information for MSC tracebacks, the RINA undertake a revision of the risk analysis, which may lead to an increase in surveillance frequency.

Furthermore, in addition to the MSC Rules for Customers, referred to in the MSC Standard, and attached here as an integral part of the contract, we add the following information and conditions with reference to the specific relationship between customers and MSC:

Rights and responsibilities of the parties include MSC’s right to modify the MSC standards and certification requirements.

When MSC approves changes to certification requirements, the timescale for certificate holders to be assessed against are determined, as well, and revised standard and certification requirements are fully confirmed. It is RINA’s responsibility to keep the certificate holder informed in this sense.

Amended MSC standards of requirements take precedence over any previous version unless otherwise specified.

Continued certification may be conditional upon compliance with any new or revised standards or requirements. RINA reserves the right to start legal action if the certificate holder does not comply with RINA’s requirements and conditions.

The MSC organization will not be liable for any costs or loss of accreditation or certification arising out of changes to MSC standards or MSC Certification requirements.

For anything else about the relationship with MSC and the relationship between MSC, RINA and certificate holders, please refer to the MSC Rules for Customers (attached).

Kind regards.

RINAServices S.p.A.

In case of certification request, please return this document properly completed and signed.

Date

Customer signature.
Name and position

For specific acceptance of Chapter 13 of the Rules here attached

Customer signature.
Name and position

Attachments:

  • Certification Rules for the MSC-Marine Stewardship Council Standard
  • MSC Logo Use
  • MSC-CoC-DOCLIST-FORM
  • MSC Chain of Custody Standard and Additional Chain of Custody Requirements

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