The Verified InCheck - Level 1 is an on-site review to establish credibility and trust in the chemical inventory that was used by the supplier to generate their Performance InCheck Reports. The verification is done by a ZDHC approved third-party or second-party (brand representative) verifier. The due diligence protocol comprises “spot checks” of specific parameters and is not a line-by-line verification of the chemical inventory. After a successful verification, a supplier gets a checkmark in their ZDHC Gateway account, which demonstrates their verification to ZDHC Brands & Friends. The generation of Performance InCheck Reports will proceed as usual.

Performance InCheck Reports are generated by ZDHC accepted third-party Solution Providers on behalf of the supplier. The reports enable them to self-evaluate their chemical inventory in line with ZDHC MRSL Conformance, and with reference to the ZDHC Gateway: the database of products categorised into different MRSL Levels through ZDHC approved third-party certifications. The chemical inventory is uploaded by the supplier on the platform of a ZDHC approved third-party Solution Provider. The inventory is then screened against the ZDHC Gateway database, after which the Performance InCheck Report is created. The Performance InCheck Report helps suppliers in planning actions to:

(1) increase the number of chemical product matches with the ZDHC Gateway database

(2) improve the ZDHC MRSL Conformance Levels of their chemical inventory

The Verified InCheck - Level 1 is an exercise conducted to establish the credibility of the chemical inventory list uploaded by a supplier and generate the Performance InCheck Reports. It is not a separate or new report, but its verification establishes trust in generated Performance InCheck Reports and the supplier's chemical inventory.

The Verified InCheck - Level 1 is applicable to all manufacturing facilities that generate Performance InCheck Reports, as per the ZDHC InCheck Solutions V1.0. This includes fabric mills, dyeing and finishing units, laundries, printing units, tanneries, and footwear assembly units, etc.

The Verified InCheck - Level 1 can be conducted by ZDHC approved third-party verifiers. The approved verifiers are listed on the ZDHC Find your Expert website. A supplier can engage any of the listed approved verifiers and confirm the costs and date of the site visit for the Verified InCheck - Level 1. The on-site check takes a minimum of 2-3 hours, depending on the size of the supplier's facility.

The  Verified InCheck - Level 1 process is as follows:

1. Supplier generates three Performance InCheck Reports, for example for three consecutive months, through a ZDHC approved third-party Solution Provider listed on the ZDHC Find your Expert website.
   
2. Supplier contacts and engages with any of the ZDHC approved verifiers listed on the Implementation HUB website.
3. Approved verifier visits the supplier facility (on an announced visit) and conducts the Verified InCheck - Level 1 as per the Protocol for Verified InCheck - Level 1 outlined in the document.
4. The approved verifier prepares the Verified InCheck - Level 1 Report.
5. If the verification is successful (total score is ⋧ 80% for the spot check parameters), the approved verifier emails the report to the ZDHC Customer Support Team.
6. If the verification is unsuccessful (total score is < 80% for the Spot Check parameters), the approved verifier requests the supplier to repeat the exercise, which the supplier may choose to do at a later date.
7. In the case of successful verification, and once the report from the approved verifier is received, the ZDHC Customer Support Team checkmarks (“flags”) the supplier’s account in the ZDHC Gateway to demonstrate that the InCheck Verification has been done successfully. The ZDHC Customer Support Team informs the verifier once completed.
8. Both the supplier and connected brands within the ZDHC Gateway can then see the checkmark for Verified  InCheck - Level 1 in the supplier's organisation profile page.

A supplier must generate three Performance InCheck Reports within the specified time limit before advancing to a Verified InCheck - Level 1. The supplier can engage with any of the ZDHC approved verifiers listed on the Implementation HUB. For the on-site due diligence, the suppliers should do the following:

1. Mutually agree on the date of visitation with the confirmed approved verifier.
2. Download the PDFs and Excel documents of the chemical inventory in each of the past three reports from his Gateway account, and mail the same to the approved verifier prior to the visit.
3. Share the Site Map (preferably with the chemical stores marked on the map) with the approved verifier prior to the visit.
4. Keep chemicals-related documents ready for due diligence. These are SDS, purchase orders, contracts with chemical vendors, CIL records, production recipe sheets, etc.
5. During the site visit, allow the Verifier access to all chemical main and sub-stores, and production areas.

For the purpose of sharing with the verifier, the supplier can generate a PDF and Excel of each chemical inventory list within their ZDHC Gateway account. Have a look at this article, 'How to download Chemical Inventory List for Verified InCheck - Level 1 (Suppliers)' for guidance on how to do this in the Gateway account.

It is recommended that a supplier does the Verified InCheck - Level 1 once a year.

Based on the due diligence protocol described in the Verified InCheck - Level 1, the approved verifier will complete the verification and assign a total score to the spot check parameters. A total score of at least 80% for these parameters signifies that the verification is ‘’successful’’. The approved verifier will email the verification Report to the ZDHC Customer Support Team, who will then insert a checkmark and Verified InCheck - Level 1 logo on the profile of the supplier’s Gateway account. The checkmark and logo will be visible to all brands connected to the supplier in the ZDHC Gateway.

As the recommended frequency of the Verified InCheck - Level 1 is annual, the Verified InCheck - Level 1 logo on the supplier's profile will remain visible for 12 months. After 12 months, the Verified InCheck - Level 1 logo will disappear unless the supplier follows the Verified InCheck - Level 1 process again.