Tag: compliance eu

CE Certificate of Conformity: A Complete Guide

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — 30 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 conformity assessment performed, the issuing company, product information, and suppliers.

In theory, this certificate is issued based on the issuing company reviewing or creating certain documents. This includes test reports and technical files.

However, as I will explain in this guide, far from all documents titled ‘Certificate of Conformity’ are valid and based on an actual conformity assessment. In short, many of these documents are invalid and can result in your products being subject to a recall, fines, or other penalties.

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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Machinery Regulation: An Essential Guide

Posted on by Yvette Shen — 2 Comments

The Machinery Regulation lays down health and safety requirements for machinery, as well as partially completed machinery. As the definition of machinery includes products with moving parts, the regulation is also relevant for consumer products such as e-bikes or trademills.

In this guide, we explain what importers and manufacturers should know about the Machinery Regulation, including documentation, CE marking, labelling, and testing requirements.
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Chemical Regulations in the European Union: An Overview

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — Leave a comment

Chemical Regulations European Union

Practically all consumer products sold in the European Union are subject to regulations governing the use of heavy metals, chemicals, and other substances. Specific bans and restrictions on substances like lead and phthalates apply to essentially all consumer products – including textiles, childcare items, toys, cosmetics, and kitchenware.

Despite bans and restrictions, some products sold in the EU continue to contain high concentrations of restricted chemicals.

In this article, we list some of the most important EU regulations that cover substances in consumer products. We also explain how you can check if a product contains regulated or prohibited substances.
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Children’s Product Regulations in the European Union: An Overview

Posted on by Fredrik Gronkvist — Leave a comment

Children's Product Regulations in the European Union

Children’s furniture and various types of childcare articles are usually not considered toys, which means that the Toy Safety Directive is normally not applicable. However, such children’s products are subject to safety standards, substance restrictions, labelling, documentation, and testing requirements.

In this guide, we explain how the GPSR, EN standards, REACH, and food contact materials regulations relate to children’s products. Note that this guide does not cover all EU requirements for children’s products, but it provides a broad overview and can help you understand the basics.

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Magnet Safety Standards & Regulations in the European Union: An Overview

Posted on by Yvette Shen — 3 Comments

Magnet Regulations EU

Magnets and products that contain magnets are potential safety hazards. As such, ensuring compliance with applicable safety standards, substance restrictions, and warning labelling requirements is essential.

Products that contain small magnets might be particularly dangerous. For example, there have been cases of children who swallowed magnets and required urgent surgery.

In this guide, we cover requirements for magnets such as those listed in the REACH Regulation, the Toy Safety Directive, EN 71-1 and the General Product Safety Regulation.
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What is the difference between REACH and RoHS?

Posted on by Yvette Shen — Leave a comment

difference between REACH and RoHS

The REACH Regulation and RoHS Directive restrict the usage of various substances. There is also some overlap in terms of the substances covered by RoHS and REACH, which can create some confusion. However, they differ in terms of product scope, substance restrictions, and labelling requirements.

In this guide, we explain and summarise what some of those differences are. We also include examples of restricted substances for both regulation, and the respective limits.
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EU Batteries Regulation: An Essential Guide

Posted on by Yvette Shen — 1 Comment

The Batteries Regulation is a new regulation that sets requirements for batteries and waste batteries placed in the EU market. It covers all types of batteries unless an exemption applies.

In this guide, we explain when the regulation will begin to apply, and its differences from the prior Batteries Directive. We also outline documentation, labelling, EPR and other requirements.
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EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) Guide

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The Deforestation Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 affects a wide range of consumer products and raw materials. The regulation mentions the following commodities and finish products made of the following materials:

  • Cattle
  • Cocoa
  • Coffee
  • Oil palm
  • Rubber
  • Soya
  • Wood

More specifically, the regulation requires that the production of listed commodities did not include the deforestation or degradation of forest land. This in turn requires certain documentation, which can be challenging when the products originate outside the EU.

In this interview with Charles Townsend from ForWood Consulting, you will learn the basics of the EUDR and what compliance can mean in practice.
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Cookware Regulations and Standards in the European Union

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Cookware Regulations in the European Union

Cookware imported and manufactured for sales in the EU are subject to various regulations, substance restrictions, labelling, documentation, and testing requirements. Some of these regulations are specific to various types of food contact materials.

But, there are also regulations and directives that cover consumer products in general, including cookware. Hence, this guide is not only covering food contact materials, but a broad set of compliance requirements for cookware as a category.

More specifically, we break down the requirements depending on the materials, as this impacts the applicable requirement.s

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Textiles Labelling Requirements in the United Kingdom

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Textile Labelling Requirements in the United Kingdom

The Textile Products (Labelling and Fibre Composition) Regulations set labelling requirements for textile products in the United Kingdom. The Regulations refer to the European Union Regulation (EU) 1007/2011, which requires the provision of fibre composition information for textile products.

In this guide, we explain covered and exempted products, fibre composition requirements (e.g. 100% Polyester), and information concerning care and size labelling.

The second part of this article consists of frequently answered questions related to UK textiles labelling requirements.

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