Implementing Best Practices to Protect our Businesses and our Industry

Product Safety 201January 15, 2013

Implementing Best Practices toProtect our Businesses and our Industry

Product Safety and Regulatory Compliance for the Promotional Products Industry

An Interactive Workshop on

We Get the Basics. How Do We Put it into Practice?


Objectives

• Interactive discussion on how colleagues of varied sizes are implementing product safety, regulatory compliance and responsible sourcing practices in their companies – and how they are working to change the culture.

• Discuss the key challenges our industry faces in trying to comply with CPSIA and to suggest some best practices that can help.

• Identify best product responsibility practices you can adopt in to protect your business, your clients and the Industry.

• Identify resources that can help, such as PPAI and it’s lab partner UL-STR


Meet our All Star Industry Panel

Rick Brenner, MASPrime

Moderator

Anne Lardner-StonePPAI

Leeton Lee, Esq.

ETS Express

Caryn StollFreestyle Marketing

Wayne Greenberg, MAS

JB of Florida/Geiger

Larry WhitneyPolyconcept NA

David GeigerGeiger


And Special Thanks to PPAI’s Expert Lab Partner

Sue DeRagon

UL-STR


Today’s FormatInteractive and participatory discussion• We welcome questions as we go along, rather than at the end• Please participate in the discussion. Share your experiences.• No negative experiences by vendor name please.• If you a question don’t be afraid to ask• This is your workshop. Take advantage of panels knowledge and experience.• We may “park” a question if it will be covered later

Be brief and to the point so we can cover a lot• We can revisit topics if we have time at the end• Please don’t be offended if I interrupt to move the discussion forward

Questions are intended to raise awareness of issues• Not intended to endorse a particular company’s policies• Choose the policies that make sense for your company


Where it All Began…….

The Summer of Recalls - 2007


The Result….

• Heightened awareness of risks of imported products• Far reaching new state and federal legislation• Complicated and often ambiguous regulations• Four years of “guidance” from CPSC - trying to explain what

CPSIA means and how it affects our industry.• Major industry initiatives by PPAI, by suppliers and distributors

to develop and implement compliance programs, educate colleagues and customers, and to change the culture regarding product safety, compliance and responsible sourcing.


Product Responsibility

• Product safety• Regulatory compliance• Social accountability• Environmental stewardship• Supply chain security


Establishing a Product Responsibility Program

• Do you have a formal product responsibility process in your company?

• What does it include?• How did you get started?• What are some challenges you’ve had and

how have you overcome them?


Distributor Sales Calls

• What should a distributor learn in a client meeting?– Intended audience?– Testing standards – compliance requirements?

• Does it risk the order?– How do you mitigate that?

• Does this information impact product or vendor selection?

• What about Internet orders?


Suppliers and Distributors

Would you risk a $10,000 order to raise product safety questions?


Suppliers: Educating the Team

Is this product OK for children?(or any similar compliance question)

Who can reliably answer that question?CSR?, Sales rep?, Compliance person?

Who can technically answer that question?


Suppliers: Product Strategy

• What is your blanks/children’s product policy? How do you communicate that to distributors?

• Do you have a process to protect against applying a juvenile imprint to a product without third party testing?


Suppliers: Test Reports

• How do you determine what products to test and what tests to perform?

• How do you communicate this to your staff and to distributors?

• What process do you use to keep up-to-date with third party tests?

• How often do you update third-party tests?• Do you perform interim testing?


Distributors: Test Reports

• Do you have a process for obtaining test reports from suppliers?

• How do you educate your staff on how to read the reports?


General Use Products

• Is compliance enough for promotional products?

• What are the risks?


Distributor’s Decorating Apparel

CPSC considers distributors who purchase blank goods and send them out for decoration as manufacturers. Recently the CPSC general counsel issued guidance requiring “an appropriate level of due care” to verify that the inks are compliant.

How is your company dealing with this responsibility? How do handle the requirement for a second tracking label?


Challenges for Distributors Who Contract for Decoration of Children’s Products“An Appropriate Level of Due Care”


Trusted Advisor

Is product safety/responsible sourcing an opportunity to create a stronger relationship with your customer?

Is this a value add or has it become the minimum requirement for access?


Recall Preparedness

Is your company prepared for a recall?

What are the issues?

How did you create the plan?


Social Accountability

There is a great deal of publicity about working conditions in factories overseas.

Do you have specific business requirements dealing with social accountability?

Is it realistic for us to be able to impact factory conditions?


PPAI Resources

Do you take advantage of PPAI Product Responsibilty resources?

Webinars/Best Practices/Turbo Test

Are there other ways PPAI could help you?


Supplier or Distributor

10 Things We All Must Do1. Know the laws/regulations (or have a good resource)2. Know your product (supplier, primarily)3. Know your supplier4. Know your client5. Know your intended audience6. Know the risks – regulatory, safety, PR7. Educate the team8. Stay current (Buckyballs, John Deere, 600-100/90, F963-11)9. Instill a product safety culture in your company10.Protect the industry


Thank You!

Implementing Best Practices to Protect our Businesses and our Industry

Documents

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