Certifications and audits
The certification and audit stack that backstops every programme we run from Dubai. ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, OEKO-TEX 100, GOTS, GRS, FSC, BSCI, Sedex, plus the UAE-specific ICV and TAQEEM statements for regulated buyers.
The standard audit pack we maintain
Every project we run from Dubai is backed by an audit pack that travels with the shipment. It includes the certificates of the partner factories in our long-term production network, the test reports for the materials actually used, and the social-compliance statements that EU and US buyers ask for under their own supply-chain due-diligence rules. The pack is built around six certification families that together cover quality, environment, occupational health and safety, textile safety, sustainable forestry, and social audit — and around the ICV / TAQEEM statements that some UAE regulators ask for on top.
We treat the certifications as table-stakes, not a differentiator. What differentiates our pack is the freshness. Certificates are checked at the start of every project, refreshed against any change in factory or sub-supplier, and reissued to procurement on request. If a buyer needs the operation audited by their compliance team, by a global brand's parent company, or by an external ESG firm, we hand over the underlying documentation without delay.
What the certification stack covers
ISO 9001 — Quality Management
Quality-management standard at every long-term partner factory. Covers incoming materials, in-line sampling, final inspection, calibration of measuring tools, and corrective-action handling.
ISO 14001 — Environmental Management
Environmental management standard for partner factories handling wet processing, dye-house work, metal finishing, and any operation with measurable discharge.
ISO 45001 — Occupational H&S
Occupational health and safety management at partner factories with documented hazard analysis, PPE provision, and worker committees — required by some UAE regulated buyers.
OEKO-TEX 100 — Textile Safety
Standard 100 class for skin-contact apparel, drinkware accessories, and bags. Tested against the OEKO-TEX restricted-substance list, refreshed annually.
GOTS — Organic Textiles
Global Organic Textile Standard for organic cotton and organic cotton / recycled blends. Required by ESG-conscious buyers for staff uniforms and welcome kits.
GRS — Recycled Content
Global Recycled Standard for rPET polyester, recycled cotton, and recycled nylon. Required for any claim of recycled content on retail merchandise.
FSC — Sustainable Forestry
FSC mix or FSC 100% for paper, packaging, wood accessories, and cork products. Required by federal-ministry buyers and the wider government ecosystem.
BSCI / Sedex — Social Audit
amfori BSCI and Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA 4-pillar) for partner factories. Required for buyers that move under their own code of conduct.
UAE-specific statements on top of the global stack
Several UAE regulated buyers ask for statements specific to the Emirates, layered on top of the international certification stack. The most common ones: the ICV (In-Country Value) certificate, issued through ADNOC's supplier-registration programme and applied to the value-add achieved inside the UAE on each qualifying project. The TAQEEM conformity statement for gifts distributed at regulated events in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The ESI-aligned compliance pack for procurement routed through the financial free zones (DIFC and ADGM). And the local trade-licence and TRN documentation that backs every UAE-bound invoice.
For buyers operating under federal procurement frameworks (the Ministry of Finance, the Tawteen Council, the various emirate-level procurement bodies), we issue the additional UAE-side documentation that the buyer's compliance team asks for. Where a buyer needs the audit pack certified by the UAE embassy of the destination of supply, we route that through the appropriate consular channel with a documented lead-time.
How the audit pack is built per project
The audit pack is not a single document. It is a per-project compilation that lists the partner factories the institution matched against the bill of materials, the certificates those factories hold at the moment of production, the test reports for the actual materials that went into the goods, the chain-of-custody trail for any FSC or GRS claim, and the social-audit statement covering the labour conditions at the production site.
The pack is issued in English for an international audience, with Arabic and other languages added where local procurement asks. It is delivered as a single PDF for the usual buyer, with iXBRL-tagged CSV export available for buyers that need to feed it into their own procurement system. Each pack is signed off by the country director in Dubai.
Frequently asked questions
Are all partner factories ISO 9001 certified?
Yes. Long-term partner factories in our production network all hold ISO 9001, and the certificate is verified at the start of every order. New partner factories are brought in only after a documented qualification cycle that includes ISO 9001 verification.
Which social-audit framework do you use?
amfori BSCI and Sedex SMETA 4-pillar are the most common. The framework the buyer asks for is the one we run — we do not impose our choice on the buyer.
Do you support FSC chain-of-custody claims?
Yes — FSC mix and FSC 100% for paper packaging, wood accessories, and cork products. Chain-of-custody is documented per shipment and the FSC claim is verifiable by the buyer's compliance.
What is the ICV certificate and when is it needed?
The ICV (In-Country Value) certificate is required for projects that supply ADNOC and other UAE energy-sector buyers. It documents the value-add performed inside the UAE on each qualifying project.
Can you deliver the certifications in Arabic?
Yes — Arabic is the default working language for UAE regulated buyers. We issue the audit pack in English, with Arabic summary on top, and any combination the procurement framework asks for.
How fresh are the certificates?
All partner-factory certificates are verified at project start and refreshed at every audit cycle. The audit pack delivered to the buyer is dated and includes the verification date.