Case Studies
Our case studies cover some of the products our Asia Import Platform customers have developed in recent years.
Suggestion: Watch the 20 minutes video tutorial before reading this article
Importing products from China to the European Union? Depending on the product, importers are required to ensure full compliance with all relevant CE directives – a process that is far more complex than requesting a test report from your supplier.
In this guide, we explain what you must know about CE marking as an importer:
We also answer frequently asked questions about CE marking:
Continue reading CE Marking When Importing From China: A Complete Guide
Suggestion: Watch the 20 minutes video tutorial before reading this article
CPSIA compliance is mandatory when importing and selling all toys and children’s products in the United States. In this guide, you will learn what both US and foreign importers must know about ensuring CPSIA compliance when buying products from China and other countries in Asia.
The CPSIA regulates various aspects of a product. However, all children’s products are subject to the following:
1. All children’s products must be compliant with all relevant safety regulations
2. All children’s products must be tested by a CPSC approved laboratory (there are certain exceptions)
3. All children’s products must have a tracking label attached to the product and/or the product packaging
But that’s not all. The importer shall also issue a Children’s Product Certificate, which is a document stating that the imported product is compliant with the relevant regulations. Click here for sample templates.
Before you can issue a Children’s Product Certificate, you need to have your product tested. The CPSIA regulates various aspects of children’s products, including substances, labeling, flammability, durability, and physical proportions. Continue reading CPSIA When Importing Children’s Products from China to the USA
Planning to import wood products or packaging carrying the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) from China, Vietnam or elsewhere in Asia? In this article, I explain how an FSC supply chain works, and what you must do to use the prestigious FSC logo on your product or packaging.
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Continue reading FSC Certification When Importing from Asia: A Complete Guide
REACH is an EU regulation restricting chemicals, heavy metals, and pollutants in all products. Products that contain excessive amounts of restricted substances, such as lead or AZO dyes, are illegal to import and sell within the single market.
In this article, I explain how you can determine if REACH testing is necessary for your products, and the steps you must take to properly ensure compliance. That’s why we invited Compliance & Risks, based in Ireland, for help.
In addition, Compliance & risks – a leading product compliance company based in Ireland – answers some of the most common questions importers have about REACH.
Continue reading REACH Compliance & Restricted Chemicals When Importing from China
Lab testing is the only way to verify that your imported product is compliant with all applicable safety standards and substance regulations. However, not all test reports are equal, as only those issued by accredited testing companies are actually valid.
For example, the CPSC in the United States lists testing labs around the world that are accredited, meaning that they only accept test reports issued by the listed companies.
In this article, we list some of the world’s leading testing labs in Mainland China and Hong Kong:
In addition, you’ll also get these questions answered:
Continue reading List of Product Testing Labs in China: An Overview
Today, one or more safety standards and substance regulations apply to most consumer products imported to the European Union, the United States, Australia, and other markets. As product compliance is rather an exception than the rule among Chinese manufacturers, third-party compliance testing is often the only way to be sure that you are not importing non-compliant products.
In this article, we guide you through the different types of compliance test and their each respective cost structure and explain what you can do to reduce said costs.
Substance regulations, such as REACH in the European Union and California Proposition 65, restricts substances in some, or all consumer goods. Such substances often include lead, cadmium, formaldehyde, and phthalates. While batch testing is not always mandatory, compliance is.
Therefore, an importer may choose to which extent its products shall be tested.
Testing companies set the cost based on the number of substances (as requested by a certain regulation or standard) and the number of materials or variations, of said material. The following may count as a variation: Continue reading Product Testing Costs When Buying from Asia – A Complete Guide
Suggestion: Watch the 20 minutes video tutorial before reading this article
About to import products from China to Australia or New Zealand? Ensuring compliance with mandatory safety standards should not come as an afterthought, but be the core focus when importing any consumer product to Australia.
Importing non-compliant products to Australia is an offense, which may not only result in a forced recall, but fines counted in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In other words, you only got one chance to get it right. Keep reading, to learn what every Australian importer must know about product safety:
Several product categories, ranging from bicycle helmets and sunglasses to children’s toys, are regulated by a set of mandatory product safety standards. While there are also voluntary standards, we focus on the mandatory standards in this article. The following product categories are regulated, by at least one safety standard, in Australia and New Zealand:
The Australian government lists all categories, to which mandatory safety standards apply, on Product Safety Australia. On this portal, you’ll find all mandatory product safety regulations and applicable AS/NZS standards. Continue reading Australia Product Safety Standards: What Importers Must Know
ASTM standards reflect industry-standard best practices in the United States and internationally, covering both product quality and safety. While most ASTM standards are voluntary, some are referenced by mandatory product regulations – including CPSIA.
In this article, Maegan Burkhart of InTouch Quality in Shenzhen, explains what every importer must know about ASTM standards:
Continue reading ASTM Standards When Manufacturing in Asia: By Maegan Burkhart
RoHS restricts heavy metals, such as lead and mercury, in electronic products imported and sold in the European Union. RoHS compliance is mandatory, not optional, for importers.
In this article, you will learn how to ensure RoHS compliance when importing from China and selling to the EU:
RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive) is a European Union product certification standard that limits the usage of certain substances (mainly heavy metals) in electronics. The restricted substances are listed below: Continue reading RoHS Compliance When Importing Electronics from China
EN 71 compliance is mandatory when importing toys to the European Union. Yet, many Importers fail to understand that EN 71 compliance is more complex than a printed CE mark.
In this article, we explain what EN 71 really is, and what you must do to ensure that your imported toys are compliant. The alternative is not an option.
EN71 is a set of European Product Safety standard that applies to all toys sold in the European Union.
EN 71, which is also a part of the CE directive, has been put in place to ensure that all toys sold in the EU meet certain minimum safety standards on the following factors: Continue reading EN 71 & Toy Safety When Importing from China