SGS helps the Juvenile Products Industry to Protect the Smallest Consumers

The testing of juvenile products is nothing new, but the number and scope of the standards is certainly on the increase. As consumers, children are especially vulnerable. That is why parents and consumer watchdogs want to be confident that all goods purchased are designed and built with young people in mind. As a result, countries around the world have implemented strict product testing standards and guidelines.

In recent years, children’s products were a significant proportion of the product recalls in the EU and US. To improve this situation, performance standards are constantly being updated and modified as new products are developed and the industry better understands the risks they may pose.

The standards landscape is becoming ever more complex

In Europe, juvenile products are already subject to around 20 European and more than 10 national standards, and another 15 standards are already in the pipeline. In addition, the overarching General Product Safety Directive (GPSD) (http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/cons_safe/keydocs/gpsd_comp_inv_a_en.pdf) is applicable to these products. The US also has more than 20 standards applicable to juvenile products, issued by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards and the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Furthermore, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and China have also developed national standards, to better protect their consumers.

As a company manufacturing, supplying or retailing to these markets, it is vital to have a clear and complete understanding of all the relevant standards and to ensure the products conform in a timely and consistent fashion. Failure to do so would not only reduce a company’s access to the markets, increase the risk of product recalls and lead to reduced profits, but also damage their reputation with consumers and within the supply chain.

How to cope with the large number of new regulations

In an increasingly global marketplace, the challenge is to ensure regulatory compliance for the products in their target markets, wherever they are manufactured. Partnering with an independent testing organization like SGS for juvenile product testing opens the door to faster turnaround times and the development of economies of scale.

SGS laboratories in China and in the UK have been testing products for many years, but to enable access to high-quality testing facilities around the world SGS has significantly extended its capabilities. Their network of juvenile product testing laboratories is complemented by Regional Technical Competence Centers, which have the broadest range of testing capabilities to ease the path to market for your products.

To ensure the safety and quality of juvenile products, manufacturers and retailers can rely on assistance by SGS in areas including consulting and training, product development and the study of new products, factory audits, inspection, testing and certification, as well as pre-shipment testing and technical reviews.

SGS is recognized for both its global and local expertise and their experts participate in ANSI, ASTM, ISO and EN working groups for the development of standards. Additionally, SGS’s expertise with toys (www.sgs.com/toys), food contact, chemicals and furniture testing has a trickle down effect, which also holds benefits for clients in the juvenile products industry.

SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With 67,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 1,250 offices and laboratories around the world.

To find out more about SGS services, contact our sales team:

SGS Consumer Testing Services
215 Rue Paul Langevin
Pôle d'activité Aix les Milles
13854 Aix en Provence, France
t +33 1 41 24 89 97

E-mail: cts.media@sgs.com
Website: www.sgs.com/hardlines

This release was published on openPR.