Privacy Policy

At Carpedia we respect and protect the privacy of our customers and those who use our website. The following Privacy Statement provides details about how your personal information is collected and used.

Information Collection and Use

Carpedia is the sole owner of information collected on this site. We will not sell, share, or rent this information to others in ways different from what is disclosed in this statement. Carpedia collects information from our users at several different points on our website.

Our website offers several opportunities for visitors to contact us. These “contact” forms are often linked to our mailing list and require users to give contact information such as name and email address. We use this contact information to send users information about our company.

Sharing and Usage

We will never share, sell, or rent your personal information with third parties for their promotional use.

Links

Our site provides links to third-party websites. While on these sites, Carpedia or its partners may collect information about you. Because Carpedia does not control the information policies or practices of these third parties, you should review their privacy policies to learn more about how they collect and use personally identifiable information.

Notification of Changes

If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on www.carpedia.com so our users are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it.

Carpedia is an SGS Company

SGS Online Privacy Statement

We have created this statement and the United States Data Privacy Notice to provide you with clear and understandable information regarding our privacy practices when you are accessing or using our website (www.sgs.com or its local equivalents) so that you can make informed choices about the use of your personal data by SGS.

When accessing other services or applications through our website, please read the specific privacy conditions which may apply to them.

SGS reserves the right to update this statement from time to time by publishing a new version online. This statement was last updated in June 2024.

When this statement refers to SGS, it means SGS as the controller of your data, namely the SGS Affiliates with which you had, have or will have a business relationship or that otherwise decides which of your data is collected and how it is used, as well as SGS SA (Registration number CHE-105.923.438 Switzerland). You may obtain a list of SGS Affiliates by visiting the Office Directory.

For residents of California, the United States Data Privacy and CCPA Notice is part of the SGS Online Privacy Statement.

Personal Data We Collect

SGS will use your personal data for the following different purposes:

To improve our website with the objective of ensuring that content is presented in the most effective manner for you and for your device
To send email and communicate with you via email regarding our services and events which may be of interest to you if this is in accordance with your marketing preferences
To analyze your use of our website for trend monitoring and promotional purposes
To respond to enquiries and comments and provide you with support via communication channels, such as customer or contact center support
To keep our website safe and secure and comply with our legal requirements and obligations
To perform or finalize any transaction or order which you have placed on SGS Group websites
To set up and manage your user account
To share it with SGS Group companies so that they may offer you their products or services
For any other new purpose for which we notify you before collecting any personal data

How We Share Personal Data

SGS shares and transfers your personal data as described here and only in accordance with all privacy practices and local privacy requirements. We may occasionally share non-personal, anonymized and statistical data with third parties for our own business purposes.

The following are the parties with whom we may share personal information and why:

1. To other SGS Group companies and those companies in which SGS owns more than 50% where it is necessary to meet the purpose for which you have submitted your personal data and in particular if necessary for the provision of services, account administration, sales, marketing and support. We take steps to ensure that SGS Affiliates, including the ones located outside the EEA, follow our global data protection policy, this privacy statement and applicable local law when handling personal data.
2. Occasionally to third party contractors and providers which perform certain functions on behalf of SGS, such as picking up and delivering samples, fulfilling inspection orders, sending email, removing repetitive information from client lists, analyzing data and processing credit card payments, direct marketing services, and cloud hosting services. These parties only have access to such information as necessary to perform their functions and may not use it for any purpose other than to provide services to us.
3. For any reason if, in SGS’s sole discretion, SGS believes it is reasonable to do so, including to satisfy any laws, regulations, or governmental or legal requests for such information; in the event of a merger, sale, restructure, acquisition, joint venture or assignment to disclose information that is necessary to identify, contact or bring legal action against someone who may be violating our Business Principles values or other terms and conditions; or to otherwise protect the SGS Group of companies.

How Long We Keep Personal Data

SGS will retain your personal data for the period of time that is necessary to fulfill the original purposes for which it has been collected. Please keep in mind that in certain cases a longer retention period may be required or permitted by law or to allow SGS to pursue its business interests, conduct audits, comply with our legal obligations, enforce our agreements or resolve any dispute.

The criteria used to determine our retention periods include:

How long is the data needed to provide you with our products or services or to operate our business?
Do you have an account with us? In this case, we will keep your data while your account is active or for as long as needed to provide the services to you
Are we subject to a legal, contractual, or similar obligation to retain your data? Examples can include mandatory data retention laws in the applicable jurisdiction, government orders to preserve data relevant to an investigation, or data that must be retained for the purposes of contract or litigation

How Personal Data is Protected

SGS follows strict security procedures in the storage and disclosure of information which you have given us in order to prevent unauthorized access, loss or destruction of your personal data. These may include:

Physical safeguards, with locked doors and file cabinets, controlled access to our facilities and secure destruction of media containing your personal data
Technology safeguards, like the use of anti-virus and endpoint protection software, and monitoring of our systems and data centers to ensure that they comply with our security policies
Organizational safeguards, like training and awareness programs on security and privacy, to make sure employees understand the importance and means by which they must protect your personal data

SGS does not seek to collect sensitive personal data (also known as special categories of data). If we do so we will always collect the data in accordance with local data privacy requirements. If you choose to provide us with unsolicited sensitive personal data, you will be asked to consent to our processing of such data on a case-by-case basis by using a specific express consent form.

SGS does not knowingly collect or solicit personal data from anyone under the age of 16. If you are aged under 16, please speak to your parent/guardian to get their permission before you provide any personal information to SGS because without this consent, you are not allowed to provide us with your personal data. If we learn that we have collected data from a person aged under 16, we reserve the right to delete such data with no prior notification or consent.

How You Can Access and Control Your Personal Data

We are committed to ensuring that you can exercise your right of access and you can control your data.

If you have registered for an account on www.sgs.com and/or its local equivalents, you may directly and autonomously access your online profile and other personal details and update, amend, if legally possible, add or delete the data about yourself by logging into the applicable website or service with your account credentials.

Otherwise, and in accordance with our internal procedures, we will respond to the following requests as described below. All requests shall be addressed via our online privacy request form or by contacting us in writing as described in the section “contact us”:

Access to personal information: you have the right to request what personal data we hold about you subject to our right to identity verification. If you request a copy of your data, we may charge you a fee, except where this is not permissible under local law.
Correction and deletion: in some jurisdictions, including the EU (according to data protection laws for data subjects in the EU), you have the right to correct or amend your personal data if it is inaccurate or needs to be updated. You may also have the right to request the deletion of your personal information, however this may not be always possible due to legal requirements and other obligations to keep such data. If we are asked to delete your data, we may keep some minimal information about you to be able to demonstrate that we have fulfilled our obligations.
Filing a complaint: Any complaints about our adherence to the practices described in this Statement shall be addressed as described here. In some jurisdictions, including according to data protection laws in the EU for complaints issued from subjects in the EU, you have the right to lodge a formal complaint with a data protection authority.
Marketing preferences: SGS may send you regular marketing communications about our services, via different channels such as email, phone, SMS, postal mailings and third-party social networks, in accordance with relevant marketing laws. When required by applicable law, we will obtain your consent before starting these activities.

In order to provide you with the best personalized experience, these communications may be tailored to your preferences by using our subscription center. Our targeted emails contain email messages which use web beacons, cookies and similar technologies to allow us to know whether you open, read or delete the message and which links you open. When you open a link in a marketing email you receive from SGS, we will also use a cookie to log what pages you view and what content you download from our websites, even if you are not registered or signed into our site.

In addition, you can exercise your right to prevent marketing communications to you by opting out of emails we send to you. In such cases, we will retain minimum personal data to note that you opted out in order to avoid contacting you again. Please note that even if you opt out from receiving marketing communications, you might still receive administrative communications from us, such as technical updates for our products or services, order confirmations, notifications about your account activities, and other important notices.

How You Can Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about your privacy, please write to us:

By email, using our online privacy request form
In writing, to the relevant SGS Affiliate, using the address from the Office Directory

Accessibility Policies

Introduction & Statement of Commitment

Carpedia International Corporation (“the Company”) is committed to providing access to our services to individuals with disabilities that is consistent with the requirements set out in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and related standards and regulations (collectively, the “AODA”). This policy addresses the requirements of the AODA and outlines how the Company will comply with those requirements.

This policy applies to every person who deals with the public or other third parties in Ontario on behalf of the Company and is intended to improve opportunities for people with disabilities.
The Company will establish, maintain, and document a multi-year accessibility plan to outline its strategy to provide equal opportunities for people with disabilities and meet its requirements under AODA requirements. This policy is implemented and reviewed in accordance with the compliance time frames established by AODA, and not less frequently than every five years.

General

The Company will continuously adopt strategies and make reasonable efforts to ensure that people with disabilities have access to the services the Company provides. This includes working to give people with disabilities an equal opportunity to use or benefit from the Company’s services and providing our services in a way that respects the dignity of people with disabilities. We are committed to providing initiatives that will facilitate improved outcomes for people with disabilities.

Customer Service

The Company is committed to providing accessible customer service that meets the needs of each person with a disability, and with the same value and timeliness as others. Efforts made by the Company to provide accessible customer service include allowing the use of assistive devices, support persons, and service animals to assist a person with a disability to access the Company’s premises or services. In situations where an assistive device, support person, or service animal may reasonably pose a security, health, or safety risk to the individual, the Company, or others, the Company may make other reasonable measures available to assist the individual with a disability.

In the event that the Company’s facilities or services used by people with disabilities experience a service disruption, the Company will provide notice, when reasonable, of the disruption.

Feedback

The Company welcomes feedback regarding the way it provides access to services to people with disabilities in writing, over the phone, in person, or in another way that best meets the communication needs of the person providing feedback. The Company will continue to support an array of formats and communications to ensure that the process for receiving and responding to feedback is accessible to people with disabilities upon request.

Information and Communication

When communicating with a person with a disability, the Company will consider the disability to ensure that the communication best meets the needs of the individual. Upon request and where applicable, the Company will arrange to provide communication in accessible formats to facilitate access to the Company’s services, facilities, and emergency procedures in a reasonable timely manner.
The Company will ensure that its website is accessible to members of the public and follow the applicable requirements of the World Wide Web Consortium Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 by the dates specified in the AODA, except where it may be deemed impractical.

Employment

The Company will inform employees and the public that accommodation is available for people with disabilities during the application process. If a selected applicant requests accommodation, the Company will consult with the applicant and arrange for suitable accommodation in a reasonable and timely manner.

The Company will inform employees about the policies and provision of job accommodation to support employees with disabilities. In addition, the Company will provide this information to new employees as soon as reasonable after they begin their employment and provide updated information to all employees on the provision of job accommodations that consider an employee’s accessibility needs due to disability.
Upon request, the Company will work with employees to arrange for a suitable and accessible format for communication support. Where applicable, the Company will provide individualized workplace response information to employees who have a disability, as soon as practical after becoming aware of the need for accommodation.

The Company will consider the accessibility needs and individual accommodation plans of its employees with disabilities when providing career development, performance management, and accommodative job duties.

Training

The Company will provide appropriate training to employees working in a Canadian location as soon as practicable after assuming a role that requires training on its accessibility policies along with the requirements of AODA and the Human Rights Code (Ontario) as it pertains to people with disabilities. Records will be stored of the training provided, the dates on which the training was provided, and to whom it was provided to.

For more information about accessibility laws and standards in Ontario, please visit https://www.ontario.ca/page/about-accessibility-laws

2024-2029 Accessibility Plan

As part of Carpedia’s commitment to accessibility, our multi-year accessibility plan outlines our strategy and the actions that have been and will be implemented to prevent and remove barriers and to meet our requirements under the Accessibilities for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). This multi-year accessibility plan focuses on our initiatives in respect of the AODA’s Accessibility Standards including:

- Customer service
- Information and communications
- Policies and training
- Employment
- Feedback

This plan applies to Carpedia International, and its related/allied firms as required by the AODA.

Information and Communication

In accordance with the AODA’s Information and Communication Standard, Carpedia will:

- Establish, review, and update this plan in consultation with people with disabilities to ensure the appropriate barriers are acknowledged and removed,
- Ensure internet websites and web content conform with Level A of the World Wide Web Consortium Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0,
- Ensure Carpedia provides on request, accessible formats and supports for people with disabilities in a timely manner and at no additional cost to others,
- Ensure conformation with Level AA of the WCAG 2.0 as required by the standard.

Employment

In accordance with the AODA’s Employment Standards Carpedia will:

Ensure inclusive employment processes for recruitment, retention and development within the firm, including:

- Notification of the firm’s commitment to accessibility and availability of accommodation,
- Provision of accessible formats and communication supports that take into account an employee’s accessibility needs,
- Taking employees’ disabilities and accommodation needs into account in respect of performance management and career development,
- Ensuring processes are in place to support employee / workplace accommodation requests following absences from work and during an employee’s employment.

Policies and Training

Carpedia has and will continue to implement policies and practices and training initiatives in accordance with the AODA by taking the following steps:

- Training for our people on accessibility in the provision of services to our clients.
- Implementing a statement of our organization’s commitment to meet the accessibility needs of persons with disabilities in a timely manner and in compliance with the AODA’s Integrated Accessibility Standards.
- Training for our people on accessibility standards and human rights legislation, as it pertains to people with disabilities as required by someone’s role.

Training will be provided in a way that best suits the nature of our people’s work.

A Workplace Emergency Response Plan will be provided to employees who have indicated to the firm that they have a disability and require assistance in the event of an emergency.

This plan will be reviewed at least once every five years.

Feedback

Receiving feedback from our employees, clients and the public is an important part of our commitment to accessibility. Our feedback process includes:

Internally – by contacting the VP, People directly by way of email, telephone, Teams or in-person as necessary.

Externally – by filling out the Contact Us form located on our website. This form is fully accessible for persons with disabilities.

We will continue to monitor and respond to feedback promptly.

For more information on this accessibility plan, please contact us at 905-337-3407.