CPSIA Children’s Product Certificate (CPC): A Practical Guide

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — 77 Comments

Issuing a Children’s Product Certificate (CPC) is mandatory when importing or manufacturing toys and other children’s products in the United States. Doing so requires that you know how to correctly input information about the product, your company, and the CPSC-accepted lab testing company that has tested your products.

In this guide, you will learn what to include in your CPC while avoiding some of the more common mistakes we’ve encountered.

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CE Certificate of Conformity: A Complete Guide

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — 32 Comments

A CE Certificate of Conformity (CoC) essentially states that a certain product is compliant with one or more regulations, directives or standards. It also includes information about the issuing company, product, and supplier.

In some cases, reputable companies like TUV Rheinland and Bureau Veritas issue certificates as part of a lab testing and document review procedure.

However, far from all CE Certificates of Conformity are issued based on actual testing and a file review procedure. On the contrary, many of these documents are issued based on nothing but the exchange of money for the sake of deceiving buyers who don’t know better. This can result in companies procuring non-compliant and unsafe products on the basis of fake CE certificates.

Alternative terms

Certificate of Conformity documents can have the following titles:

  • CE Certificate
  • Attestation of Conformity
  • Verification of Conformity
  • Certificate of Compliance

Some service providers also refer to these as voluntary certificates.

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EU Declaration of Compliance (DoC) for Food Contact Materials Guide

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — 1 Comment

Certain food contact materials must be accompanied by a Declaration of Compliance when sold or distributed in the European Union. This responsibility to issue a Declaration of Compliance generally falls on the manufacturer or other companies that introduce the product on the EU market

For context, food contact materials can refer to food packaging materials, drinking bottles, cutlery, and other products and materials in contact with food and beverages.

In this guide, we answer common questions about FCM Declaration of Compliance requirements in the EU.

Covered regulations

  • Plastic Materials Regulation (EU) 10/2011
  • Recycled Plastic FCM Regulation (EU) 2022/1616
  • Use of Bisphenol A in FCM Regulation (EU) 2024/3190
  • Restriction of Use of Certain Epoxy Derivatives in FCM Regulation (EC) 1895/2005
  • Ceramic FCM Directive 84/500/EEC
  • Active and Intelligent FCM Regulation (EC) 450/2009
  • Regenerated Cellulose Film FCM Directive 2007/42/EC
  • Polyamide and Melamine Plastic Kitchenware from China or Hong Kong SAR (China) Regulation (EU) 284/2011

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REACH Product Lab Testing: A Complete Guide

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — 24 Comments

The REACH regulation sets restrictions on certain chemicals and heavy metals in products and mixtures in the European Union. Products containing amounts of restricted substances exceeding the set limits cannot be sold in the EU.

As such, REACH lab testing is often necessary to verify that a certain product is compliant with said limits.

In this guide, we explain what manufacturers and importers must know about REACH testing requirements, costs, procedures, and more.
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EN 71 Toy Safety Lab Testing: A Complete Guide

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — 21 Comments

EN 71 is harmonised in the European Union under the Toy Safety Directive. This means that toys imported and manufactured in the EU must be fully tested and compliant with all applicable EN 71 standards.

In this guide, we explain what toy manufacturers and importers must know about EN 71 lab testing requirements, costs, and much more.

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EUDR Country Risk Classification: A Practical Guide

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EUDR Country Risk Classification

The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) sets requirements for products containing or made from wood, rubber, and other commodities. It also establishes a system for assessing the level of risk that a country where you source your materials poses in terms of deforestation, forest degradation, and agricultural land expansion.

Most countries are classified as low risk, around fifty countries are classified as standard risk, and only four countries are classified as high risk. Some of the requirements that operators and traders are subjected to change depending on the country classification.

This guide explains the EUDR country risk classifications and how such classifications impact companies that must comply with the regulation. It also provides the complete list of low-risk, standard-risk, and high-risk countries.

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CPSIA and ASTM F963-23 Product Lab Testing

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — 48 Comments

The CPSIA requires that all toys and other children’s products sold in the United States be safety tested. This generally involves testing according to one or more children’s product safety rules. For toys, testing according to ASTM F963-23 is also required.

In this guide, we explain what US businesses selling children’s products must know about CPSIA and ASTM F963-23 testing requirements.

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CPSIA Tracking Label Guide For Importers & Amazon Sellers

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — 12 Comments

Children’s products sold in the United States must have a tracking label that makes it possible to trace a product to a certain company and production run. In this guide, we explain what you must know about creating CPSIA tracking labels, including the required information, placement, and much more.

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How to Check CE Marking in 7 Steps

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How to Check CE Marking

Do you intend to import or distribute products that require CE marking? Then you need to check that the manufacturer has affixed the CE marking correctly. This, in turn, requires that certain documentation can be obtained and verified.

Note: I assume that you are intending to import or distribute an existing product. If you are having a new product manufactured, then there are no pre-existing CE marking documents to check.

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Jewellery Hallmarking in the United Kingdom: A Practical Guide

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Jewellery Hallmarking in the United Kingdom

Hallmarking generally indicates if certain jewellery and precious metal items have undergone independent testing and verification, and matches the material description. Jewellery over a certain weight sold in the UK that is described as made from gold, silver, platinum or palladium must bear a hallmark applied by an Assay Office.

This guide explains the requirements of the Hallmarking Act 1973, and answers some frequently asked questions concerning hallmarking.

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