Our Commitment to Impartiality
Independent, objective and unbiased in every assessment — because impartiality is the foundation of credible certification.
Impartiality Statement
We, Cianaa, are committed to maintaining impartiality in all of our operations and decision-making processes. We pledge to not show favouritism or discrimination towards any individuals, groups, or organizations, and to act in an objective and unbiased manner at all times.
We recognize the importance of impartiality in building trust and maintaining integrity, and we strive to uphold these values in all of our interactions and engagements with stakeholders.
In line with ISO/IEC 17021-1 Clause 5.2, impartiality is owned at the highest level of our organization and safeguarded by documented controls that are monitored continually.
How We Safeguard Impartiality
Every Cianaa auditor is held to four commitments that keep assessment decisions objective and free from influence.
Conflict of Interest
We have procedures to avoid any situation that may create a conflict of interest, such as financial or personal relationships with stakeholders, to ensure that decisions are impartial and not driven by personal gain.
Code of Conduct
Every auditor signs a code of conduct that includes guidelines on impartiality, to ensure that employees understand the importance of objectivity and are held accountable for upholding it.
Diversity
Our auditors come from diverse fields and nationalities, helping ensure that different perspectives and voices form the basis of assessment. Diversity reduces the noise of influence and creates objective results in decision-making and stakeholder interactions.
Encourage Feedback
Encouraging feedback and complaints from stakeholders helps identify any potential issues of impartiality and take appropriate action. It is a moment of continuous improvement, and we thrive to take every notion of feedback into our process.
Four Threats to Impartiality — and How We Treat Them
The standard requires us to identify and manage the risks that could compromise objective judgement. These are the four we actively guard against.
Self-Interest
Where financial or other interests could influence a decision.
Self-Review
Where we would audit work we ourselves provided.
Familiarity
Where long or close relationships could dull professional scepticism.
Intimidation
Where pressure could deter an assessor from acting objectively.
Our Impartiality Governance
The structures that turn our pledge into everyday practice.
Top-Management Ownership
Impartiality is committed to at the highest level of Cianaa and embedded in our management system.
Ongoing Risk Review
Threats to impartiality are identified, analysed, documented and treated on a continual basis — not just at onboarding.
Safeguarding Mechanism
A dedicated mechanism reviews our impartiality, drawing on diverse perspectives to keep judgement balanced.
Separation of Services
We never certify organizations we have consulted for — assessment is always independent of advice.
Financial Independence
Our commercial arrangements are structured so that no single relationship can compromise an assessment outcome.
Open Feedback Channels
Stakeholders are encouraged to raise concerns and complaints, feeding continual improvement of our impartiality.
Certification You Can Trust
Have a question about how we protect the impartiality of your assessment? Our team is happy to walk you through our safeguards.
Talk to Our Team →