To further improve the quality of our service and
rationalize growth, we decided to transform our structure from a centralized management of accreditation
schemes to a distributed one, appointing people in Europe, Asia and Latin America as leaders for
compliance.
Asia experienced 57% growth in revenue as we moved from traditional certification services to environment and value chain certification. Indeed, for ISCC, we are
among the market leaders in China.
We changed our approach in India, switching to a focus on ethical certification, automotive, and 2nd
party audits. Our colleagues handled this change well while maintaining our business in this
region.
In Europe, we saw exceptional growth of 25% in Italy in Food
Certification, and we now certify around 35% of all Italian wines.
Our organic certification also doubled to 2,300 products. We
hold a good position in the Romanian market for food management systems and industrial inspection, and
in Spain, we have experienced substantial organic growth in the very active food and environmental
markets.
Overall, we certified more than 39,000 companies, 96,000 personnel, and 2 million hectolitres of
wine and participated in rail and metro projects in Italy, China, Denmark, Ireland, Turkey, the Republic
of Korea, Israel, Portugal, Hungary, Croatia, Colombia, Argentina, Sweden, Thailand, and
Romania.
In 2022, we launched our Certification
Digital Partners program, which offers a unique opportunity for digital providers to
integrate their solutions with RINA digital assurance services, providing clients with a combined
proposal that meets their digital and Certification needs.
The program introduced a new way of verification which allow the collection of a high quantity of
digital evidence/data thanks to the merge of traditional audit activities with the digital
component.
Data received are analysed in real-time and secured with the aim of guaranteeing integrity and
immutability. Thanks to the platform, it is also possible to obtain certificates and verification
opinions in real-time to be shared with interested stakeholders.
Initially focused on the food sector, providing a way for producers to respond more efficiently to
the demands of consumers wanting information on the origin of produce, this digital solution offers
great potential for the future.
RINA’s new carbon neutral certification service provides a blend of
physical auditing and digital assurance with a combination of validation and verification of
carbon-neutral management systems with verification and collection of initial data values. Our initial
focus has been on the hard-to-abate steel sector, and we are now receiving data from many of the top
Italian steel manufacturers. This innovative digital approach allows the Organization to demonstrate
the climate neutrality of the product through a proprietary digital platform - DIAS (Data Integrity
Audit Service) able to dialogue with the client’s informative system guaranteeing the exchange more
than 150,000 data and the issuance of over 100,000 digital certificates yearly. We are also moving
this innovative digital solution to other sectors, including plastics and food production. We see this
as an important strategic service for the future, adding real value to clients’ products using
quantitative data.
Other areas of innovation in 2022 have included our involvement in blended learning, combining traditional methods for training
(in-class, instructor-led) with eLearning content to create a more flexible user experience.
Specifically, we created a blended learning path for ENEL GREEN POWER for the Operation and
Maintenance (O&M) of Green Hydrogen production through electrolysis technology.
At RINA, we see sustainability through a 360° lens and have worked in 2022 to promote Social
Sustainability through a Diversity and Inclusion certification
pack that includes Gender Equality Management System, Diversity & Inclusion Management
System, and Qeervadis certification for LGBTQ+: Tourist Reception for LGBTQ+ Community.
Our ESG Assessment service was also launched at the
beginning of 2022, verifying the effective implementation of the policies, strategies, activities and
procedures of an organisation in order to maximise its contribution to Environmental issues (E),
Social (S) and Corporate Governance (G) related to their organisational and production
processes.
Other new services included our Measuring Circularity certification service, which is the first to
measure the level of circularity of an organisation through a rating system according to UNI
/TS11820:2022, and ASFI regulation for personnel Certification, which is the only protocol for the
qualification of personnel in the galenic field.
In the coming year, we will look to scale up our digital models into different
sectors. Market momentum is good in areas such as food and sustainability, but certification is highly dependent
upon people. We will look at ways to increase work efficiency levels in an agile way to generate greater value
for our business and our clients.
Geographically, we will maintain our leadership in the Italian market while looking to boost the growth we
have seen in Romania, Spain, China and India. However, to protect marginality, we will also rationalise our
value proposition within the network. We will additionally work to strengthen our presence in the USA to
generate new market potential. Ultimately, our goal is to shift the geographical balance of our business to 50%
based in Italy and 50% in the rest of the world.
Ensuring the highest level of service for ISCC Plus
certification
ISCC Plus is one of the most popular and respected environmental & sustainability
standards in the world. Although the client had previously been certified by another
certification body, RINA in Turkey proposed its ISCC Plus service, offering a combination of
local auditors and remote support from experts in Italy to ensure a higher level of service
for the customer. This was the first time RINA Turkey had performed an ISCC Plus
certification, and the project presents an excellent reference for the strategically important
food and packaging industry in the country.
Certification for equality
and inclusion sets Spanish shipping company apart
In a long-term project that will continue into 2023, RINA has certified the Spanish
maritime transport company, Trasmed, part of the Grimaldi Group, to ISO 9001 – Quality
Management, ISO 30415 – Human resource management, and ISO 4001 – Environmental Management.
Trasmed is the first Spanish shipping company to achieve ISO 30415 certification for equality
and inclusion, which sets them apart from its competitors.
Demonstrating commitment
to 2050 decarbonisation goals with a combined decarbonisation and digitalisation
solution
In the European Union, iron and steel production is responsible for about 5% of greenhouse
gas emissions. For steel production from an electric furnace, carbon neutrality and the goals
of the Paris Agreement are direct and realistic targets that can be achieved by reducing
energy consumption, procuring renewable energy, increasing recycled scrap in the charge, and
capturing the technically unavoidable CO2 residual.
RINA supported major Italian steel manufacturers, Arvedi and Beltrame, in quantifying their
carbon footprint with the goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. The project included
ensuring product traceability to satisfy the increase in demand for carbon-neutral products
among clients. RINA has made it possible for clients to obtain carbon neutrality and enhanced
the efficiency of verification activities conducted by a quality audit team with a digital
platform to track and verify the evidence of carbon neutrality. The resulting solution
combines RINA’s technical competencies in decarbonisation and digital innovation. A
multi-skilled team, including personnel from the Climate Neutrality & Chain of Custody
Sustainability Strategic Centre, Digital Assurance team, Innovative Solutions team, and
Marketing team, supported the customer. The resulting solution has made it possible for the
clients to create a new carbon-neutral product line and demonstrate their commitment to carbon
reduction.
Providing stakeholders with guarantees on commitments to
carbon neutrality
The European Union aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 by committing to become a
net-zero greenhouse gas emissions economy. A concrete example is La Biennale di Venezia. In
2021 RINA certified the carbon neutrality of the 78th Venice International Film Festival, and
in 2022 the carbon neutrality of all the events of La Biennale according to the PAS 2060
standard “Specification for the demonstration of carbon neutrality.”
La Biennale is ultimately seeking to neutralise its carbon impact by reducing emissions under
its own control and offsetting residual emissions by purchasing certified carbon credits
generated by renewable energy projects in India and Colombia. RINA provided conformity
assessment services for carbon neutrality in compliance with the PAS 2060 standard
“Specification for the demonstration of carbon neutrality” and regulatory documents in line
with the future ISO standard (ISO 14068) that requires a systemic approach to carbon
neutrality.
Assuring product
quality
Starting at the end of 2022, RINA is certifying the Olio Evo Bio supply chain under
the ‘BIO’ identification with support from both RINA and customer experts in the oil market.
The certification, which will be the result of cooperation between multiple countries, will
assure final customers of the quality of the product supplied.
Certifying one of the most important national unions of olive producers
In 2022, RINA certified the sustainability of the extra virgin olive oil supply chain.
The project was developed by the Food Strategic Centre together with the Organic Operational
and Commercial team and is the first sustainability certification for the extra virgin olive
sector. The certification demonstrates the client’s commitment to sustainability.
Assuring quality and
safety across complex supply chains
The Polypeptide Group needed a thorough and rapid assessment of the supply chain risk and
quality for its US suppliers. Although using an internal compliance program and checklist, it
needed a third party to support its efforts and provide pharmaceutical and chemical industry
expertise. The project demonstrated RINA’s ability to not only audit against 3rd party
standards but to deliver this against highly customised, complex and industry-specific supply
chain requirements in tight timescales across the full expanse of the US. RINA provided a
senior auditor with 25 years of industry experience supported by other RINA experts. The
resulting audits have ensured PolyPeptide US is protecting both quality and safety across its
supply chain.
Improving franchise service levels
In May 2022, RINA launched a new service for independent verification of the BOSCH
service network using an agreed checklist. BOSCH wished to gain independent feedback about its
franchise service centres to ensure high-level service and to verify compliance with BOSCH
guidelines. Assessors with experience in Management Systems and 2nd party audits were
identified throughout India and trained on the checklist and BOSCH expectations by the BOSCH
team. These assessors identified a number of gaps which were reported to BOSCH to help improve
services.
High technical quality
professionals to ensure offshore flight safety
Xiamoi is a world leader in handheld mobile manufacturing. Between August and December
2022, RINA conducted ISO 9001 (Quality management) and ISO 14001 (Environmental management
system) certifications of 500 authorised service centres spread across India. Using
professional assessors, RINA was able to provide this service in a timely manner, given the
challenges of geographical spread and the high number of centres involved.
High-level quality control for the development of semiconductor manufacturing
hubs
Irish Rail appointed RINA as the independent assessor for its Dublin Area Rapid Transit
(DART)+ railway infrastructure project. The project comprised five heavy rail infrastructure
projects across the DART+ programme framework. RINA performed specific assessments and audits
as required to establish the adequacy and rigour of the Safety Management process during the
development of the projects and support Irish Rail in obtaining Irish NSA, the authorisation
required to place projects into service.
Providing NoBo and AsBo
services for rail expansion
Banedanmark, a governmental body under the Ministry of Transport that keeps the rail
network running, has appointed RINA to carry out NoBo (Notified Body) and AsBo (Risk
Assessment Body) services for its capacity expansion project between Aalborg and Hjørring and
double track at Hjørring. In its role, RINA supports Banedanmark in obtaining the
authorisation to place a project in service from the Danish NSA.
During 2022, Accenture’s new Aerospace division was
certified to the aerospace quality management standard, EN 9100. This is the first time
Accenture has undertaken this certification, which was completed in challenging timescales and
opens a new market for the company. RINA supported Accenture with its EN 9100 auditor skills
for its new business line. This is the first certification carried out by RINA for this large
client and presents Accenture with access to new tenders and clients to grow its business and
develop in the aerospace sector.
