Quality & GMP Policy

Draft for review. Items in [square brackets] need confirming before this policy is signed off.

Our commitment

LaunchPad Manufacturing fills and packs products that our clients supply to us (free issue, or toll manufacturing). Our job is to look after each client’s product and components, follow their specification exactly and return finished goods that are safe, traceable and right first time.

Standards we work to

We operate to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). Our quality system is aligned with ISO 22716 (Cosmetics: Good Manufacturing Practices) and the BRCGS Global Standard for Consumer Products.

We are not currently certified to ISO 22716 or BRCGS. We work to their requirements, and we are happy to share our procedures and records with clients and their auditors. If we gain certification, we will say so here and provide certificates on request.

The UK Cosmetics Regulation requires cosmetic products to be made in line with GMP, and ISO 22716 is the recognised way of showing this. Working to it supports our clients’ own legal obligations.

Who is responsible for what

Because our clients own their products, responsibilities are shared and agreed in writing for each job, normally in a quote and a technical or quality agreement.

• The client (brand owner) is responsible for the formulation, product safety (including the cosmetic product safety report), the Responsible Person and product information file for cosmetics, notification (SCPN), CLP classification for household products, and the content of labels and artwork.
• We are responsible for receiving, storing, filling, packing and assembling the client’s goods to the agreed specification, under GMP, and for keeping the records that prove it.

How we control quality

• Goods in. Free-issue product and components are checked against the delivery note for quantity, condition and batch or lot number, with certificates of analysis where supplied. Anything damaged or unexpected is quarantined and the client told.
• Job specification and first-off approval. Every run has a written specification (fill weight or volume, closure, labels, coding, packing format). The first finished units are checked and signed off before the run continues, against a client-approved sample where one is provided.
• Line clearance and cleaning. Lines are cleared of the previous job’s materials and cleaned before each new job, and this is recorded, so products, labels and batch codes cannot mix.
• In-process checks. Fill weight or volume, closure and seal, label position and legibility, and batch and expiry coding are checked at set intervals [frequency] and recorded.
• Equipment. Scales and measuring equipment are calibrated [frequency] and checked daily with test weights. Filling equipment is cleaned and maintained to a schedule.
• Hygiene. Production staff wear clean workwear and hair coverings, wash their hands before entering production and report illness. No food or drink is allowed in production areas.
• Premises and storage. Production and storage areas are kept clean, dry and pest-controlled [pest control contractor]. Client goods are stored separately and clearly identified; flammable materials are stored safely.
• Final inspection. Finished goods are counted, checked and packed to the client’s instructions, with a completed batch record, before dispatch.

Traceability and records

Each job has a batch record linking the client’s incoming batch or lot numbers to the finished goods, the checks carried out and the people who did them. We can trace any finished unit back to its incoming materials, and forwards to its dispatch, within [4 hours]. Records are kept for [at least the product’s shelf life plus one year / client requirement].

[Retained samples are kept for each batch where the client asks for them.]

Problems, complaints and recalls

Any non-conforming product is stopped, quarantined and recorded. We investigate the root cause and put corrective and preventive actions in place. We tell the client about anything that affects their product within [24 hours].

Complaints are logged, investigated and answered in writing. If a client needs to withdraw or recall a product, we support them straight away with our records. We test our traceability with a mock recall [at least once a year].

Training and competence

Everyone working in production is trained in GMP, hygiene and the procedures for their role before they start, with refresher training [annually]. Training is recorded.

Checking and improving

We carry out internal audits of our quality system [frequency] and review the results, complaints and non-conformances with the directors so that we keep improving. Clients are welcome to audit us.

Responsibility and review

This policy applies to everyone who works for or on behalf of LaunchPad Manufacturing: employees, agency and temporary workers, contractors and visitors. It is owned by [name, role] and has the full support of the directors.

We review it at least once a year, and sooner if the law or the way we work changes. Everyone it applies to is told about it at induction and when it changes.

Signed: [name], [director], LaunchPad Manufacturing. Date: [date].