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Companies, who bear the RHP-Horticulture, have to be verified by a certification institute (CI). This CI is there for accredit by the Accreditation Board. ECAS is the only CI with accreditation for the RHP quality mark. The requirements of the products are such that it complies with the demands and/or questions from the professional grower.

Awarding takes place when a candidate participant satisfies all requirements listed in the certification scheme application area Consumer. Candidate participants will only receive the RHP certificate after a period of implementation and realisation of all requirements from the certification scheme. When a company satisfies all requirements of the certification scheme, the quality mark is issued under licence. The RHP quality mark application area Consumer guarantees the quality of the product in the chain, from extraction to processing at the client. Advice and research are the responsibility of the RHP Foundation and monitoring is carried out by an independent organisation, making the quality mark a guarantee for reliability, safety and quality.

Substrates and substrate components that carry the RHP quality mark Consumer satisfy the highest chemical and physical requirements, are low in weeds and free of pathogenic germs, this all to guarantee a safe and reliable application at the consumer. The RHP quality mark offers optimum appropriate guarantee to the consumer

	Bark		Cocoa shells		Expanded clay granules (Consumer)
	Lime		Clay and clay granules		Coir products
	Potting soil		Potting soil fertilisers		RHP - Compost
	Garden soil		Compost from garden waste		Peat (raw material)
	Pond soil

Applying for the RHP Quality Mark

Manufacturers, importers and traders of substrates and raw material for substrates may apply for the RHP quality mark Consumer. For information on obtaining the RHP quality mark: info@rhp.nl

Consumers may also call upon the RHP Foundation. Through this website it is possible to ask your questions for instance about compositions, what means pH, which nourishment should I give my pots. Nowhere in the world will you find so much knowledge and experience as at the RHP Foundation.

Route to Certification

When a potential participant addresses oneself to the foundation RHP and complies with a number of general commitments the route to certification can be started. This route has a number of phases. These phases are 0-measurement (optional), advice adjustment processes and/or products conform current requirements, drawing up a company specific quality manual, implementation of a quality assurance system or adjustment of a current quality assurance system.

After implementation of the quality manual and the requirements of the certification scheme the six-months declaration period will be started. This declaration implies that the company can show the certification institute that it is able to work according to the product and process requirements. Within this half year an internal audit will take place. At the end of this six-months period the certification institute will execute a major audit. This audit indicates if the company complies with the requirements of the RHP quality mark application area Consumer. When the results are positive, the candidate participant can become a participant and the certificate will be issued. We indicate the time scheme at approximately 1 year.

The candidate participant can use the advice services of the RHP. Regular cooperation with the technical adviser of the RHP advances a fast introduction and execution of the product and process requirements. For this purpose companies and/or production locations will be visited regularly by one of our technical advisers.