Bioiberica consolidates its ethical corporate governance

Bioiberica, a global Life Science company committed to improving the health and well-being of people, animals and plants, has announced the certification of its Criminal Compliance Management System following an audit carried out by Bureau Veritas. Bioiberica obtained this certification in March 2022 after a huge amount of work led by its compliance team.

Criminal compliance consists of processes, controls and tools that ensure greater control and surveillance in preventing criminal risk within an organisation, thereby avoiding potential sanctions and/or convictions. That's why Bureau Veritas is committed to using this standard since it enables Criminal Compliance Management Systems to be implemented that not only respect Spanish legal requirements but are also aimed at meeting the expectations placed on organisations operating in international markets, as is the case of Bioiberica, present in over 80 countries.

The audit was carried out by Bureau Veritas, becoming the first organisation to be accredited by Spain's National Accreditation Body (ENAC) for UNE 19601 certification of Criminal Compliance Management Systems. The audit process verifies whether the standardised management model has been correctly implemented and developing a customised management system for Bioiberica that meets the standard's requirements has been a challenge for the Bureau Veritas. Nevertheless, Bioiberica's willingness and commitment have increased awareness of the importance of such systems regarding the responsibility of organisations. The company operates within an extremely regulated sector and has always complied with the legal requirements of public authorities, which has helped to assess the criminal risks related to its activity and to further strengthen the controls already in place.

Bioiberica has been committed to certifying its systems and processes with Bureau Veritas for more than 7 years. It already has a Management System in accordance with ISO 9000 and ISO14001 certification, as well as certification for its CSR Management based on the SDGs, EMAS III environmental certification, 45001 for Occupational Health & Safety and 50001 for Energy Efficiency, among others.

According to Jordi Vidal, CFO and Compliance Officer of Bioiberica, "this certification recognises the hard work carried out by the entire compliance team, which in turn has required the involvement and dedication of the whole company. Our main aim has been to develop and foster a culture of compliance, in line with the strictest ethical and regulatory standards that govern our business. We're proud of this recognition, which undoubtedly encourages us to continue working and striving to improve and expand our Compliance Management System".

For Teresa Rodon, Commercial Director and CSR and Environment Manager at Bureau Veritas Spain and Portugal, "the certification of our Criminal Compliance Management System demonstrates Bioiberica's commitment to complying with applicable legislation, industry codes, internal standards and rules of good corporate governance, as well as consolidating the ethical and performance culture throughout the organisation, enhancing the company's positioning as a successful, sustainable organisation".