About this course
About this course
The BRCGS Global Standard for Consumer Products Issue 4 sets the technical and management requirements for manufacturers of personal care, household and general merchandise products. This two-day virtual programme teaches site teams how to interpret and evidence every clause of the Standard in a manufacturing environment.
Who should attend
The course is designed for technical managers, quality managers, compliance leads and production supervisors at sites producing non-food consumer goods. Staff preparing a site for a first certification audit or for upgrade from Issue 3 find the programme particularly valuable, as do R and D and product development staff supporting new product introduction. Contract manufacturers and private-label suppliers whose customers require certification find the programme a useful reference point, and consultants supporting clients through initial certification often attend to consolidate clause knowledge.
What the programme covers
Sessions work through the Standard systematically: senior management commitment, product risk categories, the product safety management system, quality management, site standards, product control, process control and personnel. Time is given to the particular complexity of a manufacturing site that handles multiple product categories with different risk profiles, which is common across contract manufacturing operations. The programme addresses how to manage regulatory compliance alongside the Standard, how to handle customer-specific additional requirements without duplicating core compliance work, and how to evidence product safety culture in a consumer goods manufacturing environment.
Assessment and certification
A written exam at the end of day two confirms competence. Delegates who pass receive the official BRCGS Certificate of Achievement, recognised across the consumer products supply chain as evidence of Standard-specific training.
Course format and delivery
The programme runs over two consecutive days in a live virtual format with a BRCGS Approved trainer. Sessions combine clause-level teaching with worked examples from real Consumer Products certifications, anonymised where necessary. Delegates receive supporting materials and example procedures for use after the programme.
Why this matters
Consumer Products manufacturers face increasingly prescriptive retailer requirements, particularly around regulated ingredients and product safety claims. A team trained on the Standard handles customer audits, certification visits and product development sign-off with substantially less rework. The programme also reduces the operational cost of responding to customer-specific technical questionnaires, many of which map directly to the Standard. The course is often taken alongside the Consumer Products Auditor Training for internal audit teams and, for sites also handling food-grade product, the Food Safety Issue 9 Sites Training. For wider risk management capability, the HARA programme extends the hazard framework beyond safety alone.
Browse the complete BRCGS courses and training catalogue for related programmes or read what BRCGS stands for for background on the wider Global Standards framework.
