Category: Compliance Strategy

Imagine spending thousands of dollars and waiting months developing prototypes, only to find out during testing that built in design flaws rendered your product non-compliant.

The principle of designing products for compliance before it even leaves the drawing board can help you avoid that exact scenario.

To better understand how this is done in practice, we reached out to Kim Mai, who spent 5 years working for Mattel. He shares a practical case study, while also laying out the methodology he uses to design products for compliance.

(You can also reach out to Kim Mai if you need help with implementing product standards for consumer product designs).
Continue reading How to Make Your Product Compliant by Design: A Case Study

Manufacturing defects and chemical contamination can result in extremely costly product recalls, even if you have taken every precaution to ensure product safety and compliance. However, product recall insurance covering some of the costs can help you limit the impact of recalls.

In this guide, we explain what product recall insurance is and what you need to know about required documentation, covered expenses, and more.
Continue reading Product Recall Insurance: A Practical Guide

Your product just failed compliance testing. Now what? This guide explains why products fail safety and compliance testing, and how you can implement a step-by-step plan to resolve the situation and get your product successfully retested.
Continue reading Failed Product Lab Testing: An Action Plan

Using existing supplier test reports can help you reduce or even eliminate the need for third-party testing when buying ODM products, materials, and components. That said, such test reports can only be used under certain circumstances. Misused, relying on supplier test reports can result in fines and recalls.

This guide provides crucial insights from more than a decade of vetting test reports from hundreds of Asian and European suppliers. We have also implemented strategies for customers that are based on partial reliance on material and component test reports.
Continue reading How to Use Test Reports from Your Supplier: A Complete Guide

Product testing and certification can be expensive. Consultants and lab testing services can charge thousands of dollars. As such, suppliers have an incentive to cut corners by either creating or buying fake lab test reports and product certificates for a fraction of what it would cost to do it the right way.

In many, if not most, cases, suppliers are not even aware of the fact that the compliance documents are invalid.

The unfortunate result is that businesses buy non-compliant and unsafe products on the basis of fake test reports and certificates. This has the direct effect of exposing their own business to financial ruin and their customers to potentially lethal products. Think exploding phone chargers and toxic toys.

This guide explains what you can do to identify fake test reports, certificates, and other compliance documents.
Continue reading Fake Product Certificates and Test Reports: An Essential Guide

A Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is often mandatory when importing or exporting certain products. This includes batteries, chemicals, cosmetics, oils, and other products that require certain precautions during storage and transportation.

Further, Safety Data Sheets are required by Amazon when selling products classified as Hazmat or Dangerous goods.

Continue reading Safety Data Sheet (SDS) Guide For Importers & Amazon Sellers