Category: United States

CPSIA Requirements For Importers & Manufacturers: A Complete Guide

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CPSIA Guide

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) regulates all children’s products (for 12-year-olds or younger) imported, manufactured, and sold in the United States. In this guide, we explain what importers and manufacturers must know about CPSIA requirements.

More specifically, the guide covers the product scope, mandatory safety standards, certification, tracking labeling, and labeling requirements.

The article also explains how businesses and consumers can determine if a certain product is non-CPSIA compliant.

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Pet Product Regulations in the US: A Practical Guide

Posted on by Yvette Shen — 6 Comments

Pet toys and accessories imported and manufactured in the United States are subject to various consumer product regulations and standards. In this guide, we cover chemicals and heavy metals restrictions, flammability requirements, and labeling requirements for pet products in general.

Here are some examples of pet products to which this guide is relevant:

  • Pet toys
  • Pet accessories
  • Pet clothing
  • Dog beds
  • Cat scratching trees
  • Pet food

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Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) Guide for Importers and Manufacturers

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Generally Recognized As Safe
The US FDA designates substances as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) if experts have determined via scientific processes that said substances do not pose any inherent health risks. Substances that are GRAS can be found on the FDA’s Food Additives Status List.

This guide covers what GRAS is, food ingredients that have been sanctioned before the implementation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics (FD&C) Act, and which direct and indirect food substances are affirmed as GRAS.

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How often should a product be lab tested?

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Lab testing frequency

Are you an importer or a manufacturer looking to test your product? Whether you need to identify the chemical composition of your product or you want to assess if your product meets the relevant safety requirements, ‘laboratory testing’ should be considered.

That being said, lab testing is not necessarily a “one and done” thing. For starters, you can expect that you will need to re-arrange testing if you ever change materials, components, make design changes, or manufacturer. It is also necessary to re-test products as standards are amended, and new standards are implemented.

However, some regulations require that you go one step further and implement a periodic lab testing program – even without any such changes.

This article presents information relating to how frequently lab testing should be done. In addressing the question, we compare several US and EU product regulations. This includes the CPSIA and FCC 47 CFR Part 15 in the US, and the Toy Safety and the EMC Directive in the EU.

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Furniture Regulations in the United States: A Complete Guide

Posted on by Yvette Shen — 3 Comments

Furniture Regulations in the United States

Are you planning to manufacture, import, or sell furniture in the United States? In this guide, we cover regulations and standards that apply to various types of furniture in the United States. Such products include wooden furniture, children’s furniture, upholstered furniture, and more.

This includes the Lacey Act, CPSIA, fire safety standards, and California Proposition 65.
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List of Products Covered by California Proposition 65: An Overview

Posted on by Yvette Shen — 11 Comments

California Proposition 65 regulates chemicals and heavy metals in consumer products sold in the state of California. More specifically, California Proposition 65  applies to consumer products, such as apparel and textiles, jewelry, accessories, and home products.

In this guide, we list some of the products and materials covered by California Proposition 65 and highlight associated substance risks.

Product List Creation Methodology

In this guide, we only list products that are mentioned on www.p65warnings.ca.gov. The website either mentions:

a. Specific product categories (e.g. “motor vehicle parts”), or

b. Specific substances (e.g. lead and lead compounds) and, for each substance, examples of products that might contain it (e.g. ceramic dishes)

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UL 1642 Lithium Batteries Standard: An Overview

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UL 1642

UL 1642 covers rechargeable and non-rechargeable lithium batteries that includes at least one electrochemical cell that contains either:

  • Metallic lithium
  • Lithium alloy
  • Lithium-ions

In this guide, we cover different aspects concerning UL 1642. This includes information about the standard’s product scope and requirements, lab testing, and where it is possible to buy the standard

Notice that this guide is written only based on publicly available information on this page. You need to buy the standard in order to access the contents of UL 1642.
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UL 891 Switchboards Standard: An Overview

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UL 891
UL 891 covers switchboards, which are electrical devices that distribute electrical energy from one or more main sources to different load circuits.

In this guide, we explain what importers and manufacturers must know about UL 891, including its scope, where you can purchase UL 891, and information about laboratory testing.

Notice that this guide is written only based on publicly available information on this page. You need to buy the standard in order to access the contents of UL 891.
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UL 9540 Energy Storage Systems Standard: An Overview

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ul 9540
UL 9540 covers energy storage systems and equipment. In this guide, we explain what importers and brands must know about this standard, including its scope, maximum energy capacity requirements, and lab testing.

Notice that this guide is written only based on publicly available information on this page. You need to buy the standard in order to access the contents of UL 9540.
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ASTM F2413 Protective Footwear Standard: An Overview

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ASTM F2413
ASTM F2413 covers safety and performance requirements for protective footwear intended to protect wearers against potential workplace hazards. In this guide, we explain what manufacturers, importers, and brands must know about ASTM F2413, including its product scope, requirements, and lab testing.

Notice that this guide is written only based on publicly available information on this page. You need to buy the standard in order to access the contents of ASTM F2413.
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