SQAS

Definition:

SQAS (Safety and Quality Assessment for Sustainability) is a standardized evaluation and audit program developed by the chemical industry for the objective assessment of logistics service providers, distributors and chemical trading companies.
It systematically evaluates performance and management processes in the areas of:

• Safety & occupational safety
• Environment & sustainability
• Quality
• Operational safety & risk management
• Supply chain security

SQAS is run by the European Chemical Industry Organization CEFIC manages and serves as a basis for continuous improvement, harmonized quality standards and responsible logistics practices.

Areas of application:
SQAS comprises various modules, including:

• Transport Service SQAS
• Warehouse SQAS
• Tank Cleaning SQAS (in cooperation with EFTCO)
• Rail SQAS
• SQAS distributor (in cooperation with Fecc)

Note on significance in procurement
SQAS does not replace a certificate such as ISO 9001 or ISO 14001, but it provides detailed audit data that chemical companies use when selecting and evaluating their logistics partners.

_{Sources/further links:
CEFIC — SQAS overview: https://www.sqas.org/}

_{CEFIC — Responsible Care & Sustainability Programs: Responsible Care® - cefic}

_{Fecc — SQAS distributor info: https://www.fecc.org/}

SQAS challenges:

High documentation & audit costs
SQAS requires extensive documentation, regular audits, and continuous process improvement. For smaller logistics companies, this is often resource-intensive.
_{Sources/further links:
CEFIC SQAS Guidance — Implementation Challenges: https://www.sqas.org/}

Inconsistent transfer of information to operational actors
Even though companies work in compliance with SQAS, relevant safety and process requirements are not always consistently reached by drivers, subcontractors or service providers deployed locally.
_{Sources/further links:
ECTA — Operational Safety & Compliance Observations: Guidelines | ECTA - European Chemical Transport Association}

Loady's solution:

Standardised provision of safety-relevant requirements
Loady ensures that operational security guidelines, location requirements and product specifications — including those that are checked in SQAS processes — are communicated to transport partners in a clear and structured manner.

Digital, multilingual driver instructions & compliance visibility
Through visual work instructions, QR codes and documentable driver information, Loady helps to transfer SQAS requirements into the operational transport process and verifiably implement compliance.