Guide to successful NCP certification

Step by step to NCP certification

Certification of your products sets clear quality standards and communicates this in a simple way. The NCP label thus consolidates your marketing and supports your credibility.

At the same time, certification places high demands on production. To ensure that these do not become an obstacle, we recommend approaching certification step by step.

Guide to successful NCP certification

Step 1
Step 1
Obtain information and a cost estimate

If you are considering having your products certified according to the NCP standard, you will have to deal with at least 2 institutions.

On the one hand with us - the standard and label owner - and on the other with the certification body. We keep the standard and the positive list up to date, take care of the label's trademark rights and manage the use of the label.

The certification body checks your products for conformity with our NCP standard.

Please contact us - via this letter - and the certification bodies for information on the possible costs and procedures for certification

EcoControl - ecocontrol.website (contact person Ms. Holtz carmen.holtz@ecocontrol.online)

or

Audit company - pruefgesellschaft.bio (contact person Ms. Bailer n.bailer@oeko007.de )

If your products have not yet been registered, please contact your competent authority (veterinary office or food control authority) to find out what is required for you to be allowed to place your products on the market.

If you have your products manufactured in a country other than Germany, but would also like to sell them in Germany, we recommend that you consult Pfeiffer Consulting about the legal requirements.

3
Step 2
Step 2
Product development

Please read the standard in detail. The current version of the standard can be found here.

Raw materials

At this point, it is important that all raw materials used come from natural source materials and must be produced exclusively according to the processes listed in the standard. The auxiliary materials used to produce the raw material must also comply with the standard.

Please note: Some raw materials must come from organic farming as long as they are used as natural substances - i.e. not chemically modified. These are listed in the standard: Sunflower oil, olive oil, soybean oil, shea butter, coconut oil, jojoba oil. The NCP standard regulates requirements for several product categories. As described in the introduction, this covers detergents and cleaning agents as well as biocides and plant fortifiers. Please pay attention to the respective tabs in the item list in order to correctly assign your ingredients to the requirements. If you would like to offer a vegan product, it must not contain any ingredients of animal origin.

Packaging

Since 01.01.2023, the NCP standard has included criteria for packaging. These apply to packaging ordered from 01.01.2024. The criteria are supplemented by a list of materials. Please familiarize yourself with the requirements. Your documented decision on how you arrived at the selected packaging serves as proof of the criteria. Auditors will check your decision-making process during the audit. Please provide evidence of compliant materials with the specification. Please ensure that the specification clearly identifies the material.

Own checklist

  • We recommend creating a small checklist for each raw material:
  • Are the starting materials of the raw material natural (no petrochemical starting and auxiliary materials permitted, except for the substances according to the positive list)?
  • Is an organic certificate available for the mandatory organic substances?
  • Are the processes, chemical or physical, used to produce the raw material listed in the standard?
  • Are the auxiliary materials used in the production of the raw material and remaining in the product compliant with the standard?
  • Are the raw materials free from genetically modified organisms?

Is a GMO-free declaration available, if applicable also for auxiliary substances such as fermentation organisms? For vegan claims:

  • Are all raw materials free from animal origin?
  • Do you have a vegan declaration?

Packaging:

  • Is the decision for packaging based on the criteria of avoidance, reduction, reuse, recyclability and emptying?
  • Does the material correspond to the recommended or tolerated materials according to the material list?

If all points can be answered with "yes", step 3 follows.

3
Step 3
Step 3
Conclusion of contract and registration of products

Once your products have been developed and you are sure that all raw materials meet the standard, you conclude the certification contract with EcoControl and the label usage contract with us.

Our contract contains a registration file in Excel format, which you should fill in completely and send to us with the signed contract. Important: please do not forget to enter the countries in which your products are to be marketed. Your certification body will send you an Excel spreadsheet which you can use to register your products for testing.

In this table, the raw materials must be specified and broken down into INCIs - if this is possible for your product group.1 If you choose a vegan claim, please indicate this when registering.

Please attach all documents relating to the raw materials to this notification table. The documents should contain the following information for each raw material:

  1. Source material of the raw material
  2. Processes, chemical or physical, used to produce the raw material
  3. Auxiliary materials in the production of the raw material
  4. GMO-free declaration, if necessary also for auxiliary substances such as fermentation organisms
  5. Organic certificates, if applicable, for the mandatory organic substances
  6. If applicable, vegan declaration - if vegan claim is desired.

Not all substances that end up in NCP products can be broken down in INCIs. However, this does not mean that they are not compliant. We are always breaking new ground for new product categories. When registering, it is important that sufficient evidence is available to provide the required information.

If all of this information is available to the certification body and complies with the standard, nothing should stand in the way of your certificate.

Step 4
Step 4
Design of the labels

After signing the contract, the label will be sent to you digitally via a download link. You can use it to design your label. We have drawn up a guideline for this, which you will receive with the label. You may use the NCP label in its various versions, depending on how it fits on your packaging.

Please ensure that you comply with Chapter 9 of the NCP standard. This means that all ingredients of the product must be listed in everyday language that consumers can understand. The positive list contains suggestions for everyday names for raw materials. If you have used raw materials from organic farming in your product and would like to indicate this on the label, you can mark these raw materials with an asterisk* and explain what the asterisk stands for further down on the label. It is important that you state either on the label or on your website how high the proportion of organic raw materials is in relation to the proportion of raw materials that can be organic. This usually requires an explanation. Take the opportunity to inform consumers about the composition of your product and why some raw materials cannot be organic (e.g. surfactants).

Step 4
Step 4
Initial audit

In the first audit, which will take place at your premises either by means of documents or an on-site visit, you must, among other things, demonstrate the auditability of your production facility. To do this, please complete the "Description of measures" form in advance, which you will receive from the certification body. The information you provide on the form is the basis for the certification body to decide whether your production site is auditable at all. The basis of GMP is queried, such as release systems, goods flow controls and possibilities for batch traceability.

A further subject of the initial audit is proof of the conformity of your packaging. Please have the documents described above ready for this.

The third point of the initial audit is the labels. It is important to note the explanations from "Label design".

Step 4
Step 4
Receipt of the first certificate

If your steps up to this point have been successful, you will receive a certificate and can start producing and marketing your wonderful products.

Step 5
Step 5
Communication

You now have a successful process behind you and can communicate the special nature of your products to the outside world. The label helps you to identify your products not only on the label, but also on your website, in your advertisements and in all other communication channels. Use the condensed statement to highlight your products. Since 2024, all certified products have been published on our website. After signing the contract, you will receive a log-in and can design the appearance of your products yourself.

Step 6
Step 6
Audit

You have received the certificate on the basis of the documents submitted. You are still responsible for ensuring that the products are manufactured in accordance with the standard.

Part of the certification process is the on-site audit, which checks whether the products are manufactured in accordance with the standard. An auditor from the certification body will contact you or your contract manufacturer at the beginning of the year to arrange an appointment.

Please allow some preparation time for this appointment. The following should generally be prepared (please also note the audit announcement of the certification body):

  1. List of all products bearing the symbol => Customer list, parts list, advertising material, price catalogs, etc.
  2. Viewing the labels
  3. Batch traceability of the last production run (retained samples of the products as they leave the company: Bulk goods, semi-finished goods or finished goods)
  4. Documents on the raw materials used - see specially created checklist in steps 2 and 3
  5. Packaging documentation (decision documentation and material specification)
  6. Insight into the merchandise management system
  7. Possibility to set up a plant tour and gain insight into basic aspects of cosmetics GMP or other management systems

Please ensure that there is a welcoming atmosphere during the audit. Auditors are often on the road for days, sometimes have not slept as well as at home and are very happy when they are treated as welcome guests. Auditors need at least:

  1. A warm or temperature-controlled workplace where you can set up your laptop
  2. Space for storing viewed documents
  3. Something to drink and eat

A pleasant atmosphere during the audit makes work easier for both sides. Although the audit is an examination, auditors are not representatives of the authorities or even the police. Therefore, no unnecessary excitement. You can make good use of the audit by looking at your manufacturing processes together with the auditor and finding out whether you can still improve on certain points. Auditors are also well informed about the industry and have undergone numerous training courses, so you can use the annual audit as an opportunity to talk to experts.