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ASCM Enterprise Certification for Sustainability FAQs

Why does our supply chain need to get certified?

By earning an ASCM Enterprise Certification for Sustainability, certified companies gain a competitive advantage by demonstrating to the public that they employ the best and most ethical, ecological, and economic supply chain practices. Additionally, organizations that earn the certification show transparency of their supply chain and processes to the public and industry at large; building market and brand value with their consumers.

Where can I find the standards that our supply chain will be evaluated against?

You can download the Standards guide for free online.

Do we have to complete a Maturity Assessment to become certified?

The Maturity Assessment is not required to become certified. However, we highly recommend that you complete it prior to completing a registration application to help identify if your supply chain is ready for evaluation.

What does ASCM do with the information collected in the Maturity Assessment?

Information collected in the Maturity Assessment is used for research and benchmarking purposes. Information specific to your organization’s supply chain that is collected in the assessment is not shared with third parties. However, you will receive benchmarking information specific to your organization’s supply chain after completing the Maturity Assessment.

If our supply chain becomes certified, does that extend to the entire organization as a whole?

No, the certification is specific to that supply chain or business unit that was evaluated and will be noted on your certification

What documentation needs to be provided in the registration?

For a full list of documentation required for registration, review the ASCM Enterprise Certification for Sustainability Documentation Checklist. Also, make sure that you have all required documentation separated into the appropriate files before beginning your registration.

How is the documentation collected during registration used and shared?

Documentation collected in the registration application is provided to ASCM directly for staff, evaluator, and ASCM committee review and is considered highly confidential. No information collected as part of this process is shared with any additional third parties.

If my organization has become an ASCM corporate member after registering, can we receive a refund or credit on the registration fee?

While the registration fee is determined by your organization’s corporate membership status at the time of registration, there is a two-week grace period. If your company becomes an ASCM corporate package (1,2 or 3) holder within two weeks of registration, we may refund the difference. However, once we begin the evaluation process (approximately two weeks), we are not able to make any adjustments.

Can we have one of our employees conduct the evaluation?

No. Evaluations are conducted by approved evaluators only. In the event a candidate has an approved evaluator on staff, it would be considered a conflict of interest for evaluators to conduct evaluations of sites within their own company’s supply chain.

Can we change our assigned evaluator?

Once the evaluation process has begun, the evaluator cannot be changed unless there is a conflict of interest or certain legal restrictions apply. Please contact the ASCM Customer Support department at support@ascm.org to report any issues.

If our application is denied, can we appeal the result?

Candidates can appeal a committee determination of their application for certification within 30 days from receiving the notice of their application result.

When will we know if our supply chain has been certified?

Once all sites have been evaluated, the evaluator will submit their findings to the ASCM committee for review. The committee will then render a decision within 4 to 6 weeks from the date the final evaluation is submitted.

How can we contact the ASCM committee?

If you have a question or feedback regarding the status or result of your organization’s application, please contact support@ascm.org. Additionally, you may contact your assigned evaluator directly.

Is there any way to expedite the review process?

We understand that having a certified supply chain gives your organization a significant competitive advantage. However, the review process takes approximately 4 to 6 weeks for thorough review of all evaluation criteria and, thus, cannot be expedited.

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