Evidence Policy

A photograph online cannot show whether a company makes what it sells. So a person from our team goes to the factory and writes down what they find.

This policy explains what that record says, and what it does not say.

Visited means a person from Zelenberg went to the factory site on a stated date and recorded what they saw.

The visit records the location, whether the factory is operating, its production facilities and its general capabilities, with photographs.

A factory that has been visited carries the Visited mark on its profile, with the date of the visit.

Confirmed means one named fact was checked on a stated date, against a document or by seeing it in operation.

For example: "Business licence confirmed · 12 May 2026". The fact, its source and the date always appear together.

Confirmed applies to that one fact only. It says nothing about the rest of the factory.

There is no third level. We do not give scores, stars, ranks or member tiers based on evidence.

We do not call any manufacturer verified, certified, vetted or trusted. Those words promise more than a visit or a document can show.

Visits are made by our own team in China, on a date agreed with the factory. We do not send a third party in our name.

The person who visits records what they see on the day, with photographs. They do not accept gifts or payment from the factory.

The record states what was seen and what could not be seen. Absence is written down plainly.

A Manufacturing Partner pays once for its first visit. The Visited mark is kept while the factory is on the platform, and never lapses for non-payment.

An AgriTrader can also buy a factory visit for a factory they are considering.

Whoever pays, the finding is reported as found. Paying does not change what we write.

Evidence does not expire, but it ages. The date beside it tells you how recent it is.

A later visit is added to the factory's visit history. It never overwrites an earlier one, so every visit and its date stay visible.

A visit already published is not removed, even at the factory's request.

Before a factory appears on Zelenberg, we check its named documents at our desk. Each fact that passes is recorded as Confirmed, with its date.

A company that fails this check is not shown. This is how traders and shell companies are kept off the platform.

Use evidence as one input to your decision, and read it for what it is.

A factory record tells you about the factory. For a particular order, a laboratory test and a pre-shipment inspection tell you about the goods.

You choose the laboratory or the inspection company from those we list. We arrange the work and send you their report unchanged.

If you think a record is wrong or out of date, write to legal@zelenberg.com. Say which fact, and why.

We check it. If it was wrong, we publish a dated correction beside the original, which stays visible.

A manufacturer can ask for a new visit at any time. The new finding is added to its history.

We may change this policy. We publish each version with its date, and a change never alters evidence already published.