In the November issue of this newsletter, it was an article about an investigation that indicated declining product safety in Europe. In this issue, the first article below describes the coming new European legislation for general product safety, which may prove as an effective remedy for improving product safety.
The year 2023 has been challenging for many people around the world and will not be marked in history as a good one. We must trust that 2024 will prove better. In any case, I take the opportunity to thank you for your interest in this monthly publication from Nemko, and now hoping that you are having a nice holiday season and a good start of the Roman New Year 😊
This last issue for 2023 covers the following topics:
The coming European General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR)
The European General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), which shall replace the General Product Safety Directive (GPSD, 2001/95/EC,) shall be in force from 13 December 2024. Being a regulation, it will have a direct effect in all Member States without the need for transposing it into national legislation.
Increased control of hazardous materials in products
- Europe with restrictions on the use of microplastics The European Regulation (EU) 2023/2055, which is the latest amendment to the REACH Regulation, was made effective from October this year.
- US with requirements for PFAS substances
In the US, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) manages the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The associated Chemical Substances Inventory contains all existing chemical substances that do not qualify for exemption.
The Philippines Dept. of Energy (DOE) has since July 2020 operated a national labeling system calledPELP (Philippine Energy Labeling Program) for energy-consuming products based on their energy performance. It is based on aRepublic Act 11285(=The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act), and aims to transform the market and encourage the shift in consumer behavior towards the use of energy-efficient products and technologies by the information displayed on the labels at the points of sale.
- Agreement concerning Korean national certification
The Korea Testing Certification institute (KTC) and Nemko Korea has signed an agreement about Korean KC-mark certification by KTC of electrical and electronic products based on Nemko test results and factory inspection. It is based on relevant Korean legislation, primarily the Electrical Appliances and Household Products Safety Management Act.
- Established Management System Certification service After the necessary organization, preparations, and qualification of auditors, Nemko Korea has started offering management system certification to the Korean industry and has now issued its first certificate. It is based on Nemko’s current accreditation in Norway as a body for management system certification within various industries.
The annual IECEE assessor training course, which this year was for European assessors, was recently completed at the Dekra congress center in Wart, Germany, (ref. photo). The IECEE/CB Scheme is the ‘flagship’ amongst IEC’s 4 international conformity assessment (CA) systems, with currently some 120 000 CB Test Certificates/ Reports issued annually. It presently encompasses 93 national certification bodies (NCBs) with nearly 600 associat-ed testing labs (CBTLs/SPTLs) and more than 2000 client manufacturer testing facilities (CTFs).
Receive invitations to Nemko webinars on current compliance matters The webinars will be conducted in English, and one will be able to access the recordings afterwards, for own use and sharing with others. please register here.
Hopefully, you are finding these topics to be of interest.
