CTP Flexibles, a division of CTP Limited, has been awarded a BRC accreditation in a process that not only improved its compliance with food grade quality standards but also enhanced the collaboration amongst their 170 staff members. The BRC acreditation is the newest edition to a host of stringent industry standards to which CTP Flexibles complies with; FSSC 22000 and FDA IMS to name but a few.

As the BRC standard is widely recognised, accreditation is beneficial in the respect that customer audits have been vastly simplified. Furthermore, the accreditation means that CTP Flexibles’ bags, films and paper products are export compliant, specificially into Europe and the United Kingdom, paving the way for a host of new opportunities.

“Every aspect and just about everything at the plant was affected by the accreditation process,” said CTP Flexibles general manager, Alan Booth, who has been involved in BRC standards processes before.  Several fundamental changes had to made at the plant, ranging from structural changes to behaviourial changes, according to Alan, possibly the biggest difference has been that of a mindset change where adherence to the procedures has become a lot more routine.

The BRC Standard for Packaging and Packaging Materials is an international Food Safety Management System Standard and It is recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GSFI) benchmarking committee.

“By improving product safety, the standard allows us to set a good foundation in the business to reduce waste, complaints, recalls and rejected products through a cycle of continuous improvement,” said CTP Flexibles quality control assurance manager, Vicky De Klerk, who coordinated the process.

The certification process was relatively fast-tracked at CTP Flexibles, which could be attributed to the management team’s prior experience and commitment to the objectives. It obtained an AA grade meaning that CTP Flexibles is certified against the High Hygiene Category for packaging that comes into direct contact with food products or other designated hygiene-sensitive products.
One of the biggest goals achieved through the process, said Vicky, is that “customer confidence in the quality of our products has improved. It has also led to improved brand protection”.

[Anon.] 2019, “CTP Flexibles Gains BRC Accreditation”, SA Polymer Technology, Vol 17, No 2, pp. 34 -35