An independent certification scheme has been developed in response to a growing demand from manufacturers wanting to prove the origin of their goods. The V-Marq, launched at the EEF manufacturing conference in February, verifies a product’s origin of manufacture, providing a transparent and trusted method of showing where a product is made.
Lucideon CICS, an independent provider of sustainability verification and management systems certification, is providing assurance for the scheme. An advisory board and an impartiality committee have also been assembled to underpin a stringent and robust process.
V-Marq has evolved following direct calls from UK tableware manufacturers looking to signpost national and international customers to their products’ place of production, in order to differentiate them in the marketplace.
After an extensive period of research and development, the standard is now being rolled out across the ceramics industry, as well as a range of manufacturing sectors including leather, cosmetics, fragrance, clothing, homeware, carpets and flooring.
Shaun Bainbridge of Lucideon CICS, said: “Customers are increasingly looking for a standard that provides a robust audit and certification scheme to prove the origin of their purchase.
“V-Marq will not support products that are ‘designed in’ or ‘packaged in’, but endorse only products that are actually made in the place where they claim to be made. We believe that verifying where a product is made positively influences purchasing decisions, inspires confidence and highlights attributes such as quality, ethics and sustainable production. This in turn supports regional and national manufacturing both domestically and overseas."
