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API At 2023 ICPHSO International Symposium

Post author By Admin
Post date October 18, 2023
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API is excited to be participating at 2023 ICPHSO International Symposium, Celebrating 30 Years of Global Collaboration. The symposium will take place on October 26-27, 2023 in Almhult, Sweden. The 2-day Symposium hosted by Ikea provides opportunities for global product safety professionals to learn, network and discuss relevant product safety issues, and further enhance the safety of consumer products throughout the world.

Visit ICPHSO’s website for more details about the event: https://icphso.org/

Will you also attend the event? We hope to share with you new answers to increasing global risks, specifically

How to manage complex risk by leveraging data?
How you can do more with less: allocating your budget more efficiently?
Accredited rPET lab verification: scientific proof to substantiate claims

The aim is for you to be able to take insights and ideas back to your business. If this is interesting to you, feel free to contact our representatives for more info!

Blogs

Updated Regulation (EU) 2023/1542

Post author By Admin
Post date October 10, 2023
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Updated Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 (New EU Batteries Regulation, with enhanced sustainability, recycling and safety requirements)

A new regulation (EU) 2023/1542 was issued by the European Parliament and the Council on 12 July 2023, addressing the topic of batteries and waste batteries. This regulation amends Directive 2008/98/EC and Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 and repeals Directive 2006/66/EC (with effect from 18 Aug 2025).

Some of the key changes include:

Non-chemical part: requirements on sustainability, safety, labelling, marking and information to allow the placing on the market or putting into service of batteries within the Union.
- Labelling and marking of batteries
  - All batteries shall be marked with detailed manufacturing information (including manufacturer name, postal address, web and email address, place of manufacture, date of manufacture…), battery info, hazardous substances present in the battery other than mercury, cadmium or lead, QR code, EU declaration of conformity and CE mark, etc.
- Carbon footprint declaration for electric vehicle batteries, rechargeable industrial batteries and LMT batteries
- Performance and durability requirements
  - From 18 Aug 2027, portable batteries of general use excluding button cells shall meet electrochemical performance and durability requirements
    - By 31 Dec 2023, the European Commission will publish measures to phase out non-rechargeable portable batteries of general use.
- EU declaration of conformity

Restriction on substances

To ensure compliance, API can help test your batteries in our Hong Kong laboratory.

Our experts at API can also help support your transition to this or any other regulatory changes.

Contact our experts now for more information!

For more details about the updated regulation: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/006Cegal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32023R1542

News

Free Online Higg FEM 4.0 Training

Post author By Admin
Post date September 20, 2023
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The Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM) is a sustainability assessment tool to inform manufacturers, brands, and retailers about the environmental performance of their individual facilities, empowering them to scale sustainability improvements.

The next version of the Higg FEM (Higg FEM 4.0) will be officially released in the coming months. To prepare yourself for the updates, join our free training seminar on 25th September, 2023! Hosted by our Approved Trainer for SAC, this training will provide you the opportunity to better understand the changes that will be made as we transition from Higg FEM 3.0 to Higg FEM 4.0.

Session 1

Date: 25 September 2023 (Monday)

Time: 9:30 am – 11:30 pm (Dhaka Time UTC +06:00)

Click here to register now.

Session 2

Date: 6 October, 2023 (Friday)

Time: 9:30am – 11:30am ‎(New Delhi time UTC+5:30)

Click here to register now.

Topics Covered

Version 4.0 cadence timeline
Higg FEM 4.0 Framework and methodology
Key changes in Higg FEM 4.0
Higg FEM 4.0 each section content
How to prepare as manufacturers for Higg FEM 2023

About API

API is the household goods and toys quality specialist of the WORMS SAFETY Alliance, the first global alliance of safety and quality management specialists. Established in 1994, API is a leading quality management company specializing in household goods from early development stage to end of production. API aims to secure the safety and quality of its customers’ products via inspection, laboratory testing (compliance and performance), I-TCF (Product Integrity and Technical Compliance File), audits and sustainability solutions.

API is a Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM) Trainer Body and Verifier Body approved by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC).

We look forward to meeting you in the free webinars! If you have any question about API’s Higg FEM services, feel free to contact us!

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Acceptable Quality Limit (AQL) For Product Inspections

Post author By Admin
Post date February 27, 2023
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API performs product inspections services according to recognized international quality standard for product inspections: ISO 2859-1 (ANSI/ASQC Z1.4-2003), also known as the AQL Tables. Clients may request us to use an alternative standard if they have special requirements.

Inspection process
What do we inspect during an inspection?

The quantity produced (semi-finished, finished and packed)
The visual appearance (cosmetic check of the mass production)
The product specifications (size, dimensions, colors)
The labeling and marking
The packing and packaging
All possible functions and possible tests (safety, abuse, printing, etc.)

What quality standards do we use for product inspections?

Based on the acceptable quality limit sampling size chosen from the AQL tables, we carefully ensure to select random production samples. We inspect each sample and classify the defects into critical, major and minor defects. We use detailed product checklists for these definitions. Your are invited to make amendments if there are any product-specific issues we need to take into account.

According to the number of defects found for each type, we will advise you to accept or to reject your shipment. You can then make your own decision based on the detailed report we have provided, discuss the findings with your vendor, ask him to rework, re-produce or sort out the defective products.

How to use the AQL tables?

The AQL tables are incorporated into international quality standards to help ensure product quality meets your expectations.

The tables will determine the sampling size we inspect according to your order quantity and your Acceptable Quality Tolerance level (I, II or III). The standard AQL sampling plan used by 98% of the people is the level II for a normal product inspections.

If your order has multiple references, we should ideally perform a level II inspection on each reference, at the minimum.

For a standard order, the standard level II from the AQL gives the minimum sampling size we should check per reference if you do not want to take additional risks. If we inspect a general level II sampling size on multiple references orders, then the sampling size is diluted and divided by the number of references, increasing the risks as the sampling size must not be representative enough. More information about:

How to use the AQL table
Choosing the right AQL inspection level

How to find your sampling size on the AQL table?

To find the AQL sampling size for inspection, we look at the first chart and locate the range of total items produced on the left side. You have the choice of levels I, II and III, with Level III being the most stringent testing and level I being the least. Level II is the standard and is most commonly used. For example, if you are producing 8,000 items, at level II that results in the letter L which in turn corresponds to the inspection of 200 items in the second table.

On the top of the second AQL chart, you can find the defect levels, ranging from 0 to 6.5. Choose which level to apply to each type of defect: critical, major, and minor. Most importers usually choose standard defect levels which are 0/2.5/4, but you can pick 1/1/1 or 0/1.5/2.5 for high-risk products such as those in the automotive industry. Using the standard 0/2.5/4 defect levels and a sample size of 200, we see that if you have more than 0 critical defects, 10 major defects, or 14 minor defects, you should reject your shipment. Of course, the decision about what to do after your received the inspection results belongs to you. Most importers discuss all inspection findings with their vendor/manufacturer to improve wherever possible.

In case the inspection results are very close to AQL limits, it is important that you double check if the level of found defects is acceptable to you or not.

You can also use our AQL Calculator to define the sample size you need.

News

API At 2023 ICPHSO Annual Meeting And Training Symposium

Post author By Admin
Post date February 20, 2023
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API is excited to be participating at 2023 ICPHSO Annual Meeting and Training Symposium. The symposium will take place on February 20-23, 2023 in Orlando. The 4-day Symposium provides opportunities for global product safety professionals to learn about and discuss relevant product safety issues, and further enhance the safety of consumer products throughout the world.

Visit ICPHSO’s website for more details about the event: https://icphso.org/

Please feel free to contact your regular customer representative for more information.

Blogs

Toys go green, but are they safe?

Post author By Admin
Post date February 8, 2023
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The sustainability mega-trend hasn’t missed the toy market. Today’s eco-conscious consumers have put toy makers under pressure to produce products that are sustainable, but the reality is that very few toys can be recycled. Most are made from a combination of plastics, metals, and other components that most recycling companies don’t accept. To put a number to it, experts suggest that the toy industry alone is on track to produce more than one million tons of plastic waste annually from 2023. In the face of this staggering plastics problem, the sustainable toy market is growing, valued at US$19 million in 2020 and forecast to reach US$60 million by 2030.

Environmental responsibility isn’t the only driving force behind the rise of green toys. Consumers have become more aware of the health effects of toxic chemicals and materials found in products intended for children and are demanding alternatives. Technological and material innovations have also advanced the sustainability quest, but obstacles remain in sourcing and testing. Furthermore, a combination of kids being stuck at home and eco-anxiety caused by the pandemic has accelerated consumer appetite for made-to-last, planet-friendly toys.

Many of the major players in the toy industry are leading the way to reduce the environmental impact of toys. The Lego Group is on a challenging mission to make all its core products out of sustainable materials by 2030, and by 2025, all its packaging will be made from renewable or recycled materials. The brand has also introduced an initiative (Lego Replay) that invites children to donate their pre-loved Lego bricks to children in need. Mattel Inc. has expanded its Mattel Playback program, which allows consumers to send back a broad range of Mattel toys for recycling and reuse. The brand has also introduced certified carbon-neutral toys and aims to use entirely recycled, recyclable, or bio-based plastics in all its toys and packaging by 2030.

It may be recycled, but is it safe?

Consumers naturally expect safe products from the brands they trust—especially those targeting children. When implementing sustainable materials and processes, toy brands must ensure that they’re not introducing products that may be dangerous for children. Toxic chemicals in toys are of particular concern, especially those made for kids under 3 because of their mouthing and rapid metabolic rate, high surface area to body weight ratio, and rapid physical development. The product safety risks of toys made with sustainability in mind include:

Recycled materials, such as plastic, may contain toxic chemicals due to exposure during the recycling process.
Toys made from recycled plastic may contain toxic chemicals such as flame-retardants (PBDEs, HBCDs) or POPs (persistent organic pollutants).
Sustainable toys may also contain toxic materials like lead paint on wooden toys.
Different mechanical properties may introduce risks: for example, a sustainable product may be more brittle and not pass all tests.
It’s difficult to be sure where old materials came from, and they may contain unknown chemical sources.

Most toy safety testing relates to chemicals, and any substances found to be potentially damaging to human health are immediately banned from the industry. Regulation in this area is increasing and becoming more expensive and challenging to navigate. A third-party expert can help you determine which tests are required based on your BOM and materials and work with you to streamline the testing process. This will not only enable you to stay ahead of regulations and avoid costly risks but will, most importantly, put your customers’ health and wellbeing first. It will also give you visibility over your supply chain so you can anticipate and manage risks throughout the product life cycle.

Missteps can be costly, and they do happen. In 2022, 213 toy products were recalled in Europe because of chemical risks.

By not actively managing your chemical risks, you risk a lot more: your brand reputation. After consumer trust satisfaction plummets, it can be a tall and expensive mountain to climb to win that trust back—especially for toy companies that are perceived to not care about the wellbeing of children. Mattel Inc., the largest brand in the US, recalled millions of toys in 2007 due to hazards from small, powerful magnets and lead paint. The recall costs and lawsuits have cost the brand over US$100 million, but the damage to brand reputation may cost them for many years to come.

How can toy brands align their sustainability efforts with the importance of product safety? Compliance is essential, but it’s only the starting block. Supply chain visibility, improved traceability, and scientific methods that help verify the origin of new materials and the potential presence of harmful substances can help you anticipate risks early on and focus on the areas where risks are highest, ultimately saving you time and money.

Chemical Risk Assessment is the identification and mapping of product risks based on:

Materials
Product group: e.g., toys for under 3 years
Factory performance: an audit be performed within the last 12 months
Industry insights: e.g., product recalls or newly banned substances

This risk-based approach allows you to maximize safety while managing costs.

API’s specialized solutions for sustainable toys

At API, we combine our on-the-ground experience with our scientific expertise in an end-to-end approach, allowing you to create more sustainable products that are still safe to use. Some of our specialized solutions include:

Chemical Risk Assessment
Traceability and increased visibility over your entire supply chain
rPET testing, advanced testing that verifies and quantifies rPET in products to ensure your recycled polyester claims are genuine.
Chem Scan Check™, a new testing approach that detects more than 250 chemical substances in one test.

Interested in finding out more about how our safety solutions can benefit your brand?

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API’s Quality Solutions – ICPHSO 2023

Post author By Admin
Post date February 6, 2023
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How API Benefits Your Business

API are the household goods and toys quality experts of the WORMS SAFETY Alliance. Established in 1994, API is trusted by some of the biggest retailers in Europe. We understand compliance comes first, but also that new challenges require a new approach. We can help you to stay ahead of the game, so you can create better products that are safe to use. We secure the safety and quality of our customers products via laboratory testing (compliance and performance), TCF (Product Technical Compliance File), audits, inspections and sustainability solutions made for this industry.

We understand that the current environment is very challenging. We can help you bring new thinking to transform increasing risks into opportunities

5 Reasons Why We Are Different

We Focus In 5 Strategic Areas

We Put The Environment At The Heart Of What We Do

Environmental Audits

Sustainable Processes

- Environmental assessments
- Chemical assessments
- Verification of low impact processes
- Coaching of factories

Sustainable Products

- Life Cycle Assessments
- Product carbon footprint
- Green claims validation
- Hot-spots identification

We bring A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO SUPPORT YOUR BUSINESS GOALS

Risk Management: Optimizing Your Quality Budget

Allocate resources to the products and suppliers that need the most technical support – the higher the risk in one dimension, the higher the control and monitoring required.

Recycled Polyester Testing – Verification & Quantification

Ensure your recycled polyester claims are genuine.

Following years of research, Worms Safety Laboratories have pioneered an innovative solution to detect and quantify rPET in textiles. Increasing regulation and consumer expectations has increased the need for substantiation of claims.

Even if you know your supply chain, relying solely on someone else’s information and declarations is risky. Accurate scientific testing is the only way to verify the genuineness and amount of rPET within raw materials.

Chem Scan Check™

To support our partners in chemical risk management, we developed Chem Scan Check™ (CSC), which scans for more than 285 hazardous chemical substances in one go. Instead of waiting and paying for multiple tests on expected chemicals with a traditional testing approach, we offer our partners wider visibility, in 72 hours so they can anticipate and mitigate risk.

A chemical scan that gives you visibility on almost all hazardous substances to help prevent ‘unexpected’ non-compliance risks in only 72h.

News

API At Spielwarenmesse® 2023, Nuremberg Toy Fair

Post author By Admin
Post date January 30, 2023
No Comments on API At Spielwarenmesse® 2023, Nuremberg Toy Fair

We are pleased to announce our participation at the Spielwarenmesse® 2023 in Nuremberg on 1-5 February 2023.

Are you also joining the Spielwarenmesse® 2023 Toy Fair? Come and visit us at our booth B-76 in Hall 7 and discover API’s innovative solutions and best practices for Toys Quality Management. Book your appointment to talk to our team!

API’s Solutions for Toys: Stay Ahead Of The Game

API are the toy quality experts of the WORMS SAFETY Alliance. Established in 1994, API is trusted by some of the biggest retailers in Europe. We understand compliance comes first, but also that new challenges require a new approach. We can help you to stay ahead of the game, so you can create better products that are safe to use. We secure the safety and quality of our customers products via laboratory testing (compliance and performance), TCF (Product Technical Compliance File), audits, inspections and sustainability solutions made for this industry.

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API’s Toy Quality Solutions – Spielwarenmesse

Post author By Admin
Post date January 10, 2023
No Comments on API’s Toy Quality Solutions – Spielwarenmesse

STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME

How API Benefits Your Business

Toy Laboratory Testing

API offer comprehensive laboratory testing for all international toys tests at our labs in Asia and Europe. We are accredited (COFRAC, EN 71-1/2/3).

Raw Material
Electrical
Flammability
Physical and Mechanical
Fit for Use and Performance

We understand the new risks (sustainable materials, chemical management), and we can go further to make your products safer.

Toy Quality Compliance Solutions

From product design and development through to shipping, API assess supplier and toy compliance with these solutions:

Supplier Factory Auditing
Raw Material and Design Stage Testing
Quality inspections
Pre-Shipment Random Testing

Recycled Polyester Testing – Verification & Quantification

Ensure your recycled polyester claims are genuine.
Following years of research, Worms Safety Laboratories have pioneered an innovative solution to detect and quantify rPET in textiles. Increasing regulation and consumer expectations has increased the need for substantiation of claims. Even if you know your supply chain, relying solely on someone else’s information and declarations is risky. Accurate scientific testing is the only way to verify the genuineness and amount of rPET within raw materials.

Chem Scan Check™

A chemical scan that gives you visibility on almost all hazardous substances to help prevent ‘unexpected’ non-compliance risks in only 72h.

News

API At 2022 ICPHSO International Symposium

Post author By Admin
Post date November 7, 2022
No Comments on API At 2022 ICPHSO International Symposium

API is excited to be participating as a sponsor at the 2022 ICPHSO International Symposium “Redefining Key Concepts of Product Safety”. The symposium will take place on November 14-15, 2022 in Brussels. The one and a half-day Symposium provides an opportunity for global product safety professionals to participate in discussions that further enhance the safety of consumer products throughout the world.

Visit ICPHSO’s website for more details about the event: https://icphso.org/

Please feel free to contact your regular customer representative for more information.

API At 2023 ICPHSO International Symposium

Updated Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 (New EU Batteries Regulation, with enhanced sustainability, recycling and safety requirements)

Session 1

Session 2

Topics Covered

About API

Inspection processWhat do we inspect during an inspection?

What quality standards do we use for product inspections?

How to use the AQL tables?

How to find your sampling size on the AQL table?

It may be recycled, but is it safe?

API’s specialized solutions for sustainable toys

How API Benefits Your Business

5 Reasons Why We Are Different

The expertise of a specialist

Return on investment oriented

Our DNA: ‘boots on the ground’

Not a one-size-fits-all provider

We make it simple

We Focus In 5 Strategic Areas

Technical expertise

Data Leverage

Innovation & Technologies

Tailor-made solutions

Sustainability, Traceability

We Put The Environment At The Heart Of What We Do

Environmental Audits

Sustainable Processes

Sustainable Products

We bring A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO SUPPORT YOUR BUSINESS GOALS

Risk Management: Optimizing Your Quality Budget

Recycled Polyester Testing – Verification & Quantification

Chem Scan Check™

API’s Solutions for Toys: Stay Ahead Of The Game

STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME

How API Benefits Your Business

Toy Laboratory Testing

Toy Quality Compliance Solutions

Recycled Polyester Testing – Verification & Quantification

Chem Scan Check™

Request a Quote

Inspection process
What do we inspect during an inspection?