Grievance and Complaint Management Process

Grievance and Complaint Management Process

IIn accordance with Article 15 of the Statutes of the Association, the CSC Executive Committee establishes the following grievance and complaint management process, including the establishment of the Grievance Management Committee, for the Concrete Sustainability Council. 

For the purposes of this document, and unless stated otherwise, the term “grievance” shall be understood to include both grievances and complaints. For further clarification of terminology, please refer to Annex II.

1. Objectives
2. Potential complainants
3. Areas of grievance
4. Submission process
5. Grievance Management Committee
6. Conflict of interest
7. Lodgment and assessment of the admissibility of the grievance
8. Formal consideration of the grievance
9. Information gagthering
10. Formal decision of the grievance
11.Appeal against a decision
12 Transparency & Confidentiality
13. Costs
14. Continuous improvement

1. Objectives

The CSC grievance and complaint  management process aims at providing:

-a credible, efficient and solution-oriented arbitration.

-a clear focal point for grievances raised by CSC members and stakeholders involved in the Association;

-a structured process to raise concerns or submit formal complaints related to the governance, conduct, policies and procedures of the Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC) as an organization;

-a transparent and impartial process and mediation to address grievances with respect for sensitive information;

-accountability, fairness, and continuous improvement within CSC;

-a credible, efficient and solution-oriented arbitration

2. Potential complainants

The grievance management process is open only to:

• civil society organizations, NGOs, community groups or representatives
• members of the Association;
• the users of the Certification System, and

• the stakeholders formally involved in the Association.

3. Areas of grievance

The grievance management process shall apply only to grievances between:
• The CSC and
• Third parties, communities, organizations, or other non-member stakeholders; or
• Members of the Association; or
• formally involved stakeholders or Users of the Certification System

For this grievance management process to apply, a grievance must be directly relevant to the processes explained in one or more of the following CSC documents:
• Statutes;
• By-Laws and Terms of References;
• Membership Conditions and Application and related policies;
• The CSC Manuals and their Revision Procedures;
• The local adaptation of the CSC Manual

Any grievance outside of the scope of the processes explained in the above documents shall not be considered by this grievance and complaint management process, unless involving complaints from third parties concerning:

-Alleged misconduct or non-compliance by CSC as an entity (e.g., governance, policies, procedures, transparency, ethical practices)

-Conduct of individuals involved in CSC governance or management, including its Executive Committee, employees and contractors

-Failure of the CSC to uphold its stated principles, commitments, or public responsibilities

CSC members are expected to have their own grievance and complaint mechanisms to resolve grievances and complaints that do not fall in the areas addressed by the CSC grievance and complaint management process.

If any person alleges that a standard must be added or varied, the person should notify CSC and the proposal will be considered by the Technical Committee. CSC’s Standards are set and amended by the CSC ExCo, following a recommendation of the multistakeholder CSC Technical Committee. Therefore, the proposal will be considered as outside the scope of CSC Grievance and Complaint Management Process. 

This grievance and complaint management process does not replace or limit access to judicial remedies. The mechanisms outlined are not intended to replace, contravene or otherwise alter the requirements of any applicable international, national, state or local governmental statutes, laws, regulations, ordinances, or other requirements.

4. Submission process

 4.1 Informal resolution

CSC encourages its members and stakeholders to seek, prior to invoking the grievance and complaint management process, an amicable settlement to any grievance directly with the person, entity or organ of the Association whose action or decision is the subject of the grievance.

4.2 Formal resolution

As required by Article 15 of the Statutes, the submission of a grievance shall

-be lodged with the Secretariat of the Association; 

-document the nature of the grievance 

-be submitted in writing to: CSC Grievance Management Committee (GMC)  

Email: grievance@csc.eco  

Subject: “Grievance/Complaint Submission – [Brief Title]”

Or via Post to:

Grievance Management Committee (GMC)  

The Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC)

Rue de la Cité 1

1204 Geneva Switzerland

Complainants must fill the CSC Grievance and Complaint Submission Form (See ANNEX 1) (CSC can help with completion of this form).

Each submission must include:

– Complainant’s name and contact information (unless submitted anonymously)

– Description of the issue, including dates and relevant background

– Identification of which part of CSC’s operations or decisions are in question

– Supporting documents, evidence, or witness accounts (if available)

– Preferred outcome or remedy sought (optional)

Anonymous complaints will be considered if sufficient credible information is provided. CSC reserves the right to reject anonymous submissions if they do not include justification for anonymity and substantive evidence to support the allegations.

Translation can be requested if a response from CSC in a language other than English is required.

If a Complainant has special reasons why any material provided should be kept confidential, that material, with reasons for the need for confidence, must be provided to CSC at the time the material is submitted.

Complainants acknowledge that if not all material can be provided to CSC, this may impact upon the effectiveness of the CSC Grievance and Complaint Management Process to deal with the complaint satisfactorily.

5. Grievance Management Committee ( GMC)

Role: The GMC serves as:

1. the organ managing the grievance process and preparing grievance related resolutions for the CSC Executive Committee (ExCo) decisions

2. the reviewing and decision-making organ if the ExCo is one of the parties involved in a grievance process.

Composition: The GMC is composed of the CSC Chair, the CSC Technical Committee chair and a representative of 1 Regional System Operator (RSO) appointed by the ExCo for four years, from amongst a list of voluntary RSO ExCo members. The Chair of the Association shall call for voluntary members in a timely manner.

6. Conflict of interest

In accordance with the CSC Conflict of Interest Policy, a member of the GMC and the ExCo shall not take part in the discussion and decision-making related to a grievance in which this member is directly involved. 

In the case where one member of the GMC or the ExCo has a potential or actual conflict of interest in participating in the grievance management process, this member shall inform the ExCo via the Chair or Vice-Chairs of the Association, as soon as they become aware of this conflict of interest. If a conflict of interest relates to a member of the GMC, the ExCo shall nominate a temporary replacement for the respective grievance management process.

7. Lodgment and assessment of the admissibility of the grievance

a. Upon receipt of a grievance lodged in accordance with Article 15 of the Statutes, the Secretariat of the Association shall, within 15 days, notify the parties named in the grievance of its lodgment with the Association, and provide them and all GMC members with copies of the documents lodged by the complainant.

b. The GMC shall review the admissibility of the grievance within 30 days and provide a recommendation to the ExCo regarding the admissibility. 

c. The ExCo shall conclude on the admissibility of the grievance during its following regular meeting. If the ExCo itself is a party to the grievance, the final decision of its admissibility is taken by the GMC.

d. The Secretariat of the Association will notify the parties to the grievance within 15 days after the decision of admissibility whether the grievance is formally considered or rejected.

e. If the grievance is considered non-admissible, then the process is taken no further and the complainant will be informed by the CSC Secretariat with an explanation within 15 days after the decision is taken.

8. Formal consideration of the grievance

If the grievance has been formally considered, the parties are given 60 days to lodge (additional) written submissions to support their view.

9. Information gathering

The GMC may:

Request further documentation or clarification from the complainant

Interview CSC personnel or relevant stakeholders

Review internal documents and decisions

10. Formal decision of the grievance 

a. The GMC shall provide a concluding recommendation regarding the grievance  to the ExCo within 30 days after the expiry of the time to lodge (additional) written submissions. The recommendation may include an action plan with the aim to achieve a balance of interests.

b. The ExCo shall conclude the grievance latest during its following regular meeting. If the ExCo itself is a party to the grievance, the final decision regarding the grievance will be taken by the GMC.

c. The Secretariat of the Association will notify the parties of the decision within 15 days following the decision.

11. Appeal against a decision

If the complainant is unsatisfied, they may appeal in writing to the CSC ExCo within 30 days of receiving the outcome. The ExCo’s decision will be final.

The process of appealing against a decision is set forth in analogy to section 8, 9 and 10 in this document.

The formal decision on an appeal is final, and the process is taken no further, i.e. no appealing against this decision is possible.

Timelines refer to the number of days after receipt of the document established in the previous step. Documents are taken to be received if emailed to the address either provided to the Association as the contact address for the member or party in question, in the written grievance, or in written response to the grievance: on the next business day following the day the documents were emailed.

12.Transparency and Confidentiality

In order to ensure accountability and transparency, the outcomes of any grievance and complaint management process shall be reported to the Members of the Association within 30 days of the decision. 

A summary of admissible complaints and resolutions will be published on the CSC website annually.  CSC will publish, at a minimum, the following details about each Grievance: 

the nature of the complaint, 

any harm alleged,

a summary of the findings and any remedy or resolution.

Complainant identities and sensitive content will be kept confidential.

The CSC Privacy Policy applies to all of CSC’s activities, including the Grievance and Complaint Management Process and personal information will be managed in accordance with this policy. 

By submitting a Grievance, a Complainant consents to CSC collecting, storing and using information provided by the Complainant for the purposes of this Grievance and Complaint  Management Process. 

The members of the ExCo and GMC involved in a grievance shall be required to keep confidential all information supplied by the parties in the grievance and complaint management process.

13.Costs

Each party shall bear its own costs of participating in a grievance and complaint management process. Direct costs incurred by the CSC for the management of a grievance shall be divided and assigned to the parties involved in the grievance and reimbursed to the CSC.

14. Continuous Improvement

This mechanism will be reviewed and updated in regular intervals based on case outcomes and feedback from stakeholders received.

APPROVAL DATE:  March 31^st, 2021

DATE OF LAST REVIEW: September 23^rd, 2025

VERSION NUMBER:  2.0

ANNEX I Grievance and Complaints submission form

ANNEX II Glossary of Terms

This glossary provides definitions of key terms used throughout the CSC Grievance and Complaint Management Process. 

Complaint

Refers to an expression of dissatisfaction with a specific action, behavior, service, or outcome.

Grievance

Refers to a formal expression of concern regarding a perceived breach of rules, policies, or contractual obligations.

Complainant

The individual or organization submitting a grievance or complaint.

Executive Committee (ExCo)

The primary decision-making body of the CSC, responsible for governance, policy-making, and final resolutions unless a conflict of interest applies.

Grievance Management Committee (GMC)

The body established by CSC to oversee, review, and make recommendations on grievances and complaints submitted under this procedure.

Stakeholders

Any individuals, groups, or organizations with a legitimate interest in the CSC or its activities, including members, certification users, community representatives, NGOs, and others formally involved in CSC processes.

Regional System Operator (RSO)

An authorized regional entity responsible for implementing and administering the CSC Certification System in specific geographic areas.

Technical Committee (TC)

A multi-stakeholder advisory body that provides technical recommendations to the Executive Committee, particularly regarding the development, revision, or interpretation of CSC Standards.

Resolution

The final outcome, decision, or remedy issued in response to a grievance or complaint, including any corrective actions or follow-up.

Summary of Grievances complaints

You can find the Summary of Grievances complaints in the document.