Bureau Veritas offers star level approach to China market access

The Chinese clothing market is booming and many European and American brands are looking at selling their products to the Chinese consumer. But with complex and rapidly changing regulations and standards, entering the Chinese textile market can be a challenge. This is why Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services has developed a new solution to help brands and retailers access the market quickly whilst minimising the risks associated with non compliance issues.
China continues to experience rapid consumer consumption growth with some estimates putting the China clothing retail market at over $100 billion USD by 2013. As such, many retailers and brands in Europe and Americas are gearing up for rapid China growth and expansion plans. However, selling textile products in China is not a straightforward exercise: regulatory safety requirements (e.g. GB 18401, GB 5296.4, GB 20400 or GB 18383) and industry standards are indeed often complex and rapidly evolving. Additionally, the Chinese government continues to randomly select products from shelves to perform testing to check for compliance.
In order to help retailers and brands access the Chinese market by complying with the safety and quality requirements of the clothing industry, Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services has created a star level approach solution: Star 1 level (Must Do - applies to all products being sold in China) covers national regulatory requirements such as GB 18401 - National General Safety Technical Code for Textile Products. Star 2 level (Should Do recommended for established brands / retailers) additionally covers industry and product specific standards such as FZ/T 81007 - Casual Wear and GB/T 2660 Shirts. Finally, Star 3 level (Could Do - recommended for high quality brands) is the premium offering and adds client specific quality / performance requirements (if they are not included in the product standard).
Jonathon Thackray, UK Sales & Business Development Director, states, Whilst the main requirements are not new, the rapid growth in the China retail market is, and with changing legal and enforcement activities, our solution delivers a trusted approach to safely and quickly accessing this flourishing market. We continue to expand our laboratory network aligned to our clients sourcing strategies, offering CNAS reports from all locations. With over 700 product standards for different textile and apparel products and around 60% - 70% of the requirements and test methods being identical or similar to the ISO Standards, we have also developed a series of test packages / protocols for multiple product categories to reduce duplicated tests and enhance cost-effectiveness. Working with China government agencies and having helped draft some of the standards, we are perfectly suited to partner successful market access.

Annex: Benefits of Bureau Veritas approach to China Market Access All labs in Bureau Veritas global networkwho test for China can provide a CNAS report There are over 700 product standards for different textile and apparel products. Bureau Veritas has developed a series of test packages / protocols for multiple product categories. With around 60% - 70% of the requirements and test methods of the GB Standard also being identical or similar to the ISO Standards, Bureau Veritas can develop a global program to reduce duplicated tests and enhance cost-effectiveness. Apart from laboratory testing, Bureau Veritas also provides visual inspection services based on the Standards. Dedicated Technical Services team in China to support market access Bureau Veritas offers a star level approach to China market access. Which option the client takes is dependent upon their risk & brand strategy Bureau Veritas partners with key China Government Agencies, including Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureaus (CIQ) and China Certification & Inspection (Group) Co., Ltd (CCIC) Bureau Veritas has participated in drafting GB Standards e.g. GB/T 23330 Clothing - Requirement of protection against rain, GB/T 22852 Knitted Fabric for Swimwear