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Responsible Down Standard (RDS – Supply Chain Certification)

Responsible Down Standard (RDS) certification applies to all supply chain sites of waterfowl down and feather material from the hatchery (if in possession of hatchlings longer than 24 hours), farm, slaughter, processing of down or feather, assembly of the final products, up to the seller in the last business-to-business transaction. Farms and slaughters are certified to the Animal Welfare Modules of the RDS.
Subsequent stages including slaughters of the down and feather supply chain are required to be certified against the requirements of the Content Claim Standard (CCS), up to the seller in the last business-to-business transaction. The Content Claim Standard is a chain of custody standard that verifies the amount of a given raw material in a product. The Content Claim Standard is a chain of custody standard that verifies the amount of a given raw material in a product. The aim of chain of custody, is to preserve the identity of the claimed material, and to track its movement through the supply chain up to the final product. This is done through Scope Certificates (SC) and Transaction Certificates (TC).

GCL offers certification services for the supply chain scope (post farm and post slaughter site) of Responsible Down Standard (RDS).

The RDS Certification Process

Application and contract

You can apply online for the RDS Certification. We will use the application details to produce a quotation.

Once the quotation has been accepted, we will ask you to return a signed copy of the quotation and our Scheme Rules.

Preparation for the Initial RDS Certification Audit

The following documents are supplied prior to the initial certification:

  • Briefing information about the RDS Standard;
  • Standard and Implementation Manual;
  • Document checklist;
  • Inspection report which includes inspection checklists, list of suppliers and subcontractors.
Initial Certification Audit
  • Opening meeting
  • On-site Audit
  • Preparation of Audit Report (including Findings)
  • Closing meeting

Following the completion of the inspection, a report detailing the findings is provided. Subject to the closure of any non-conformances or findings (if any), a Scope Certificate is issued.

Labelling Release

Whenever the client wishes to have its artwork approved, the proposed artwork and Labelling Release form shall be submitted to GCL International for approval.

Transaction Certificate
  • The certified client may request a Transaction Certificate by emailing us.
  • Send a Transaction Certificate Request form and associated documents to us.
  • If approved by us, the Transaction Certificate is issued to the client.
Re-Assessment or Annual Audit

GCL International will communicate with the client to plan for the re-assessment and to determine if there have been any changes, such as: production units, subcontractors, recipes or new suppliers. An audit report must be completed by the client and returned to us.

GCL International will conduct the re-assessment.

Following the completion of the audit, a report detailing the findings is provided. Subject to the closure of any non-conformances or findings (if any), a certificate with TE labelling is issued.

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