We confirm what companies do for people.
Awareness Certification certifies social management systems to PAS 24000:2022 as an independent certification body. The outcome is an audit report and a certificate whose validity your customers and business partners can verify at any time in the public register.
A management system for social responsibility
PAS 24000:2022 is the specification for social management systems published by the British Standards Institution. It sets out how an organisation systematically manages working conditions, human rights and fair employment: through a policy, the assessment of risks and opportunities, clear responsibilities, internal audits and management review.
The specification follows the harmonised structure of the ISO management system standards. Organisations already working to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 or ISO 45001 integrate the requirements of PAS 24000 into their existing system.
Why the evidence matters more than before
Supply chain legislation in Germany and the European Union obliges large companies to establish and document working conditions at their suppliers. This obligation reaches suppliers in the form of questionnaires, contract clauses and audit requirements. Added to this are sustainability reporting, in which companies describe their supply chain, and tenders that require evidence of social responsibility.
A certificate to PAS 24000:2022 answers these requirements with a single piece of evidence that is independently audited and publicly verifiable.
Your benefits
Independent evidence
Certificate, certificate number and register entry replace individual evidence and self-declarations towards customers and business partners.
Early identification of risks
The audit makes nonconformities in working hours, remuneration, occupational safety and grievance procedures visible before they are found in a customer audit or a regulatory inspection.
Integration into existing management systems
The harmonised structure allows the processes, internal audits and management review of an existing system to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 or ISO 45001 to be extended by the social dimension.
A published procedure
Audit criteria, decision rules and the handling of nonconformities are published and known before the contract is placed.
Impartial audit and decision
No consultancy, separation of audit and decision, fees independent of the outcome and an appeals procedure secure the reliability of the certificate.
Three-year certification cycle
The certificate is valid for three years with annual surveillance. Recertification follows on from the current cycle; the certificate number remains.
The whole system, without exclusions
PAS 24000:2022 combines management system requirements with binding requirements on social performance. The audit covers both: clauses 4 to 10 and all eleven topics of Annex A.
Under PAS 24000 a claim of conformity is permitted only without exclusions. The audit therefore covers the entire site and all workers, including agency workers.
What certification delivers
Audit report
Findings on every requirement, supported by document review, site inspection and worker interviews. Every nonconformity is graded and given a deadline for correction.
PAS 24000:2022 certificate
Stating sites, scope, certificate number and period of validity. Valid for three years with annual surveillance; status and validity can be viewed in the public register.
Certification mark
For use on websites, in tenders, supplier questionnaires and business stationery, always together with the certificate number. Use on products, packaging or in consumer-facing advertising is excluded.
The certification procedure
In structure and timelines the procedure follows ISO/IEC 17021-1, the international standard for bodies auditing and certifying management systems. It is published; audit scope, audit duration and decision rules are known before the contract is placed.
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01
Application and quotation
The organisation submits an application stating sites, workforce, shift patterns and the intended scope. Awareness Certification reviews its competence and capacity for the assignment and possible conflicts of interest, and determines the audit time. The quotation is based on this.
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02
Audit planning
Once the contract is placed, the audit programme for the three-year cycle, the audit team and the audit plan are established and communicated to the organisation. The organisation may object to the appointment of individual auditors.
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03
Stage 1 audit
Review of documentation and readiness for stage 2: policy, assessment of risks and opportunities, legal requirements, scope, internal audit and management review. The result identifies areas that could lead to nonconformities in stage 2.
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04
Stage 2 audit
On-site assessment of implementation and effectiveness, normally within six months of stage 1: confidential worker interviews, payroll and working-time records, inspection of all areas of the site. Findings are explained at the closing meeting and documented in the audit report.
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05
Corrective actions
Nonconformities are graded as major or minor. The organisation analyses the causes and submits corrective actions; major nonconformities must be demonstrably closed before the certification decision, minor ones supported by an action plan.
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06
Certification decision
A person not involved in the audit reviews the audit report, nonconformities and evidence of correction and decides on granting the certificate. The certificate is valid for three years; the entry in the public register is made on the day of the decision.
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07
Surveillance audits
In the first and second year after the decision, on-site surveillance audits verify continued conformity, the effectiveness of corrective actions and changes to the system or the site.
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08
Recertification
Before validity expires, a recertification audit reassesses the whole system. On a positive decision a new three-year cycle begins; the certificate number remains.
Impartiality as the basis of certification
The value of a certificate rests on the confidence that the audit was objective and the decision free from undue influence. Awareness Certification secures this through the provisions that ISO/IEC 17021-1 lays down for certification bodies and which form part of the published procedure.
- 1Management commitment
The management of Awareness Certification is committed to impartiality in all certification activities. This commitment is part of the documented certification system and binding on every person involved.
- 2Analysis of conflicts of interest
Before accepting any assignment and on an ongoing basis, relationships with applicants and clients are reviewed: ownership, governance, personnel, finances, contracts, marketing and previous activities. An identified conflict of interest leads to refusal of the assignment or replacement of the person concerned.
- 3Separation from consultancy
Awareness Certification provides no management system consultancy and conducts no internal audits. Organisations that received such consultancy within the previous two years from a person related to Awareness Certification are not certified. In the audit, nonconformities are identified and corrections evaluated; solutions are not developed.
- 4Separation of audit and decision
The certification decision is taken by a person not involved in the audit, solely on the basis of the audit report and the evidence submitted. That person may grant, refuse, suspend or defer certification.
- 5Fees independent of the outcome
Fees are based on audit time and agreed before the audit. They are independent of the audit result and the certification decision, for the certification body and for the persons deployed alike.
- 6Complaints and appeals
An appeals procedure is available against certification decisions. Complaints about certified organisations or about Awareness Certification are recorded, investigated by a person not involved in the matter and answered. Both procedures are published.
- 7Safeguarding impartiality
A committee for safeguarding impartiality, composed of representatives of the interests concerned, including certified organisations, workers and customers, reviews annually the analysis of conflicts of interest, the impartiality policy and the year's certification decisions, and may issue recommendations to management.
- 8Whistleblowing channel and compliance
Workers of certified organisations, business partners and third parties can report violations of the requirements of PAS 24000 or misconduct by auditors confidentially and, if they wish, anonymously, via the whistleblowing form or to compliance@awareness-certification.com. Awareness Certification and the persons acting for it accept no benefits from organisations they audit or whose certification they decide on.
Frequently asked questions
Who is PAS 24000 for?
For organisations of any sector and size that want to manage and demonstrate their social responsibility systematically. In practice these are mainly manufacturers and service providers in supply chains whose customers require evidence of working conditions.
How can customers verify the certificate?
Every certificate can be viewed in the public register with its number, scope and validity; the audit procedure and criteria are published. Customers and business partners can thus see what was audited, under which rules and by whom.
How may I use the certificate and the mark?
The certificate and audit report may be passed on to customers and business partners. The mark may be used on your website, in tenders and on business stationery, always together with the certificate number. Use on products, packaging or in consumer-facing advertising is excluded. The details are governed by the certification agreement.
How does PAS 24000 differ from SA8000 and ISO 26000?
ISO 26000 is guidance and not certifiable. SA8000 is a standalone social standard with its own structure. PAS 24000 is a management system specification in the harmonised structure of the ISO standards and can therefore be integrated into existing systems to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 or ISO 45001.
We do not have a social management system yet. How do we proceed?
The first step is building the system, not the audit. Whether this is done in-house or with external support is the organisation's decision. Awareness Certification then audits as an independent body. We do not advise those we certify.
What is FSSC 24000?
FSSC 24000 is a certification scheme of the Foundation FSSC for consumer goods manufacturers and related service providers. It builds on PAS 24000:2022 and adds its own scheme rules; only bodies licensed by FSSC may certify under it. Large retailers and brand manufacturers in the Consumer Goods Forum recognise FSSC 24000 as equivalent evidence. Awareness Certification is not affiliated with the Foundation FSSC and does not operate within its scheme. Awareness Certification certifies to PAS 24000:2022 itself, under its own published procedure, for organisations of any sector and size. As both routes rest on the same specification, the management system is the same in either case.
What does the audit cost?
Audit time depends on the number and size of sites, workforce, shift patterns and languages. Once sites and scope are clarified you receive a binding quotation.
What happens in the case of major nonconformities?
Without effective correction no certificate is granted. An existing certificate is suspended or withdrawn; the status in the register is changed the same day. Grounds and deadlines are laid down in the procedure.
Get in touch
We clarify sites and scope with you and check for possible conflicts of interest. You then receive a quotation with audit scope, procedure and timeline.