China Market Access: A Three-Tier Testing Approach

Safe, Compliant and Faster to Market


Business Challenge

China continues to experience rapid consumer consumption growth with some estimates putting the China apparel retail market at over $100 billion USD by 2013. As such, many retailers and brands are gearing up for rapid China growth and expansion.

National regulatory requirements in the People’s Republic of China require mandatory product standards to be met that specify general safety and technical requirements. The Chinese government also continues to randomly select products from shelves to perform testing to check for compliance, highlighting the need to meet the requirements of this regulation.

With complex and often developing legal and industry/product specific requirements and enforcement actions, you need to clearly understand:

• How can you access China with minimal risk?

• What are the requirements for your particular products?

• What is the industry best practice?


Our Approach

Working with an independent and knowledgeable compliance partner who can advise on best practice approaches to navigate the regulatory and market access requirements for your product range is crucial.  As well as the mandatory requirements, e.g., GB 18401, GB 5296.4, GB 20400 and GB 18383, companies entering China also have to consider the implications of applying product/industry standards.


Our approach can help you:

•  Deliver compliant products to market with confidence

•  Reduce the risk of financial loss, liability and safety issues associated with non-compliant products
•  Protect your reputation and brand

Our Solution

Our solution is based on a star level approach. Depending upon your company and brand strategy, we will work with you to apply the right solution package for your product range. The table below details the different approaches available.

Star 1: Minimum Quality  GB standard (Must Do)  Applies to all products being sold in China

National Regulatory Requirements:

• GB 18401 – National General Safety Technical Code for Textile Products

• GB 5296.4 – Instructions for Use of Products of Consumer Interest - Instructions for Use of Textiles and Apparel

• GB 20400 – Leather and Fur - Limit of Harmful Matter

• GB 18383 – General Technical Requirements for Products with Filling Materials



Star 2: Higher Quality  GB standard + product standard such as FZ (Should Do)  Recommended for established brands/retailers

Star Level 1 plus industry/product specific standards:

• See table in the attached PDF for examples of common product standards



Star 3: Maximum Quality  GB standard, product standard, and client’s Quality & Performance Standards (Could Do)  Recommended for high quality brands – helps demonstrate quality as well as compliance

Star Level 2 plus client specific quality/performance requirements (if they are not included in the product standard), for example:

•  Abrasion

•  Bow & Skew
•  Fabric Width
•  Pilling
•  Oil/Water Repellency
•  Stretch/Recovery (Knit)
•  Stretch/Growth (Woven)
•  Tension & Elongation of Elastic Fabrics

Benefits


CNAS Reports - Provided by all labs in our global network that test for China.


Convenient Test Packages - With over 700 standards for textile & apparel products, we have developed a series of test packages/protocols for multiple product categories.

Reduce Duplication, Save Money - A majority of requirements & test methods of GB Standards are identical or similar to ISO Standards. We can develop a program to reduce duplicated tests.

Visual Inspection - In addition to testing, we provide visual inspection services based on the GB Standards.

Superior Service - Our dedicated Technical Services team in China supports your market access.

Flexible Star Level Options - We offer a variety of approaches to China market access. Choose the best option based upon your risk and brand strategy.

Government Partners - We work with key China Government Agencies, such as Entry-Exit Inspection & Quarantine Bureaus (CIQ) and China Certification & Inspection (Group) Co., Ltd (CCIC).

Technical Leadership - We participate in drafting GB Standards, e.g. GB/T 23330 Clothing - Requirement of Protection Against Rain, and GB/T 22852 Knitted Fabric for Swimwear.

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