Cosmetics, oils, candies, raw CBD leaves and flowers... Given the therapeutic benefits of the cannabis plant, the market is expanding and products containing CBD are becoming increasingly popular.
However, the control of these products is not always very present, the legal standards are few and the legal framework evolves regularly. Thus, since the suspension of a ministerial order by the Council of State on January 24, 2022, the marketing of leaves and raw flowers of CBD is again authorized and the threshold of THC present in the products, was increased from 0.2% to 0.3%.
The situation changes regularly, making it difficult for the consumer to compare different products and to know what is allowed to be purchased.
To respect the safety of the consumer, Naturalpes, one of the leaders of the legal CBD, decided to set up, in a proactive way, a quality approach by the means of an international certification of most demanding.
Product quality and quality management
For Naturalpes, the quality of the plants used in the products sold is at the very heart of the company's values. Therefore, the cannabis plants are all organically grown in Switzerland and come from cultivations located at the foot of the Alps in the Valais.
The clear and smooth marketing of these "made in Switzerland" products was based not only on the complete quality control of the cannabis plants. But also on the importance of creating readable and documented processes throughout the company and of having a quality management system in place within the company.
It is with this in mind that Naturalpes has chosen to adopt a demanding quality approach, recognised internationally. In-depth work has therefore been undertaken during the year 2020, with the aim of obtaining ISO 9001: 2015 certification.
To tell a recent story in the field, the Association of Cantonal Chemists of Switzerland (ACCS) examined, during a national campaign, 100 different foods containing cannabis or claiming the presence of CBD. In a press release issued on 1 February, it established that the sellers of these foods do not fulfil their legal obligations of self-monitoring or do so only to a very limited extent. As a result, they are "not taking responsibility for consumer protection".
The 73 products withdrawn from sale for safety reasons were marketed by Swiss companies competing with Naturalpes. 28 of these products even presented a "proven health risk" according to the ACCS.
The most striking point of these analysis results corresponds to the non-compliance of almost all CBD oils, containing cannabis extracts with high cannabidiol content. Indeed, out of 46 products analyzed, 43 have been challenged and are now subject to either a sales ban or product recalls.
On the contrary, in order to protect Swiss consumers, Naturalpes has chosen to follow a demanding quality approach, ISO 9001:2015 certification, and will begin this in-depth work in 2020.
And the results are there: following this national study, Naturalpes is one of the 3 companies that have not had their products banned from sale.
What is ISO 9001 certification?
Of course, product traceability and quality remain essential guarantees of the conformity of the final product with legal requirements.
But what the results of this national campaign show is also the identification of two key elements that a company should integrate in its development. This is to ensure consumer safety and customer satisfaction through :
- building an effective business organisation
- precise monitoring of the evolution of the laws in force and legal requirements thanks to a regulatory watch.
It is these two objectives, the construction of an efficient organisation and regulatory monitoring, that ISO 9001 certification can help to achieve.
This internationally recognised quality approach is based on several principles explained in the document Quality Management Principles:
- a strong customer focus,
- the motivation and commitment of the management,
- the process approach,
- product quality assurance,
- and continuous improvement.
What does this quality process involve?
The ISO process is demanding and well known. The first step is for the company to choose one of the independent bodies accredited by the standard. The latter will carry out an initial audit to measure the gap between the requirements of the standard and the company's practices.
The objective is then to modify practices and meet legal requirements by putting in place procedures and instructions that will guarantee quality and its sustainability. All these requirements are structured in 7 categories:
- Management
- Purchasing
- Production
- Sale
- Distribution
- After-sales service
- Support
Trustworthy support
In order to be supported in this documentation and structuring of the internal organisation, Naturalpes commissioned Alcane Conseils, a Swiss consultancy firm located in Lausanne (canton of Vaud), which specialises in supporting companies, individuals and public administrations in controlling their production and operating systems.
"It took hundreds of instructions, procedures, documents and over 400 hours of work to achieve certification."
Philippe Perreten, Audit & Quality System Director of Alcane Conseils
Purchasing, management, processes, ... It is all about controlling and documenting "everything that comes in and everything that goes out of a company" , from machine control to management and server structuring.
Standardisation and documentation: the 2 ISO pillars
The company is carrying out a global and systematic standardisation of procedures. Philippe Perreten gives the example of the sealing machine (a machine used to close the bags containing Naturalpes products), which has been the subject of a process change.
The aim is to use the correct sealing technique every time and to ensure the repeatability of the bag closure, so as to guarantee the absence of air bubbles and contamination after closure. This information is documented and enables employees, including future ones, to use the machine efficiently.
What results?
ISO 9001 certification obtained
After all this work of auditing and organising the company, on 8 September 2021, following a certification audit, Naturalpes was certified by SGS.
And this process continues over time. A surveillance audit then takes place every year for 3 years to ensure that quality is maintained. The audit that takes place in year number 3 is more substantial than the others, as it concerns the award of a new certificate for a further 3 years.
The ISO 9001 standard is therefore a guarantee of quality maintained over time.
Concrete results in a control operation
As the sale of processed products containing CBD has been legal since 2017, i.e. 4 years before in France, the product control chain is now more organised in the Swiss country where Naturalpes was first developed than in France.
For example, following a national control campaign of 100 products containing CBD, 73 were banned from sale because "the safety of customers could not be guaranteed".
The most striking aspect of these test results is the non-compliance of almost all CBD oils, containing cannabis extracts with a high cannabidiol content. Indeed, out of 46 products analysed, 43 were challenged and are subject to a sales ban or product recall.
Products of recognised quality
For Naturalpes, the results are there: following this study launched by the control authorities, it is one of the three companies that have not had their products banned from sale .
It is now a question of allowing the French market to benefit from Naturalpes' ability to offer quality products, certified ISO 9001 and developed in a country where quality controls by the cantonal authorities were structured several years ago.
What benefits?
Being ISO 9001:2015 certified has enabled Naturalpes to become a reference player, not in volume and abundance but in precision and quality.
For Naturalpes: clear and untroubled marketing
Saving time, constant conformity of products with legal requirements, systematisation of task responsibilities, constant documentation accessible to employees, etc. The benefits of a quality approach are numerous.
This translates internally, according to Henri Klunge, the founder and director of Alcane Conseils, into "a system of actions on who does what, when and how.
" This ensures the reliability of the products and services provided. Better internal organisation also saves the company valuable time by increasing efficiency."
Henri Klunge, founder and director of Alcane Conseils
For Naturalpes customers: the assurance of quality products
As a customer looking for a product containing CBD (oil, herbal tea, flowers, etc.), it can be difficult to find your way around, as the range of products on offer has grown considerably. One thing is certain: you need to go to a company you can trust, one that can inform you about the raw materials (extraction and processing sites), the processes, the CBD and THC content of the products, etc.
It is therefore in the client's interest to turn to a company such as Naturalpes, which has wished to place the quality of its organisation and the conformity of its products at the heart of its activity, and is recognised for this by a quality certification.
It is the assurance of health and serenity.