Certificates for Materials
Material-Level Versus Company-Level Certificates
Traceable supports two types of certificates:
| Type | Scope | Where to manage |
|---|---|---|
| Material certificate | Applies to a specific material in your library (e.g., a REACH compliance statement for a particular cathode active material) | Materials → select material → Certificates tab |
| Company certificate | Applies to your business broadly (e.g., ISO 9001, ISO 14001, conflict minerals audit) | Certificates section in the sidebar |
This page covers material-level certificates. For company-level certificates, see Certificates.
The distinction matters because operators reviewing your data request response need to know not just that your company is ISO 14001 certified, but that the specific material you supplied has, for example, a REACH compliance certificate confirming it contains no SVHC above threshold limits. A material-level certificate makes that link explicit and auditable.
When to Attach a Certificate to a Material
Use material-level certificates for any document whose validity and scope is specific to a particular substance or component, such as:
- REACH compliance declarations for substances of very high concern (SVHC)
- RoHS compliance certificates for electronic components
- Conflict minerals declarations at the material level (where the certification references specific mine provenance rather than your company's overall policy)
- UN 38.3 transport test reports for battery cells
- Material-specific test reports (e.g., cycle life test results, electrochemical characterisation)
- Third-party analysis certificates (Certificate of Analysis from an accredited laboratory confirming composition)
How to Upload a Material Certificate
- Navigate to Materials in the left sidebar
- Click on the material you want to add a certificate to
- On the material detail page, click the Certificates tab
- Click Upload Certificate
- Complete the certificate fields (see below)
- Click Save
The certificate is immediately associated with the material and visible to operators when they review a data request response that references this material.
Certificate Fields
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate type | Yes | Select from the list (REACH, RoHS, UN 38.3, Conflict Minerals, Certificate of Analysis, Other) or enter a custom type |
| Issuing body | Yes | The organisation that issued the certificate (e.g., SGS, TÜV Rheinland, Bureau Veritas, or your internal certification body name) |
| Certificate number | Yes | The unique identifier on the certificate document |
| Validity start date | Yes | The date the certificate came into effect |
| Validity end date | Yes | The expiry date; if the certificate has no expiry, enter a date far in the future and note "No expiry" in the notes field |
| Certificate file | Yes | PDF preferred; JPG and PNG are accepted for scanned documents |
| Notes | No | Any context useful for operators reviewing the certificate — for example, the standard version the certification is against, or any known scope limitations |
Expiry Tracking
Once a certificate is uploaded, Traceable monitors its expiry date and surfaces alerts in two places:
- Your dashboard — the Expiring Certificates panel shows all certificates (both company-level and material-level) expiring within 60 days
- Email notifications — alerts are sent at 60 days and 30 days before expiry (configure your notification preferences in your account settings)
When a material certificate expires, it is marked with an Expired badge on the material's Certificates tab. Expired certificates remain accessible for historical reference but are clearly distinguished from current ones.
If you reference a material in a data request response and one of that material's certificates has expired, the operator will see the expired status. This may cause the operator to request updated documentation before accepting your response.
Renewing a Certificate
When you receive a renewed certificate:
- Open the material → Certificates tab
- Click Upload Certificate to add the new version (do not delete the old one)
- On the old certificate, click Options → Mark as Superseded
- Link the superseding certificate using the Superseded by field
Marking the old certificate as superseded preserves the historical audit trail while making clear that the new certificate is the current valid version. Operators viewing your data request response will see the current certificate by default, with access to the historical record if needed.
How Operators See Material Certificates
When you respond to a data request and select a material from your library, the operator can see:
- The material's full specification (composition, CAS numbers, country of origin)
- All current, valid certificates attached to that material
- A direct link to download each certificate PDF
Operators can attach your material certificates to the DPP they are building, cite them in field notes, and include them as evidence in the DPP's audit trail. This chain of custody — from your material certificate to the finished DPP — is one of the core compliance mechanisms under EU Battery Regulation Article 71.
Expired or superseded certificates are not shown by default in the operator's view, though they remain accessible in the full certificate history if the operator needs to review the historical record.