Category: Blogs

Blogs

DIY & Home Improvement: Our 20+ Years’ Expertise

Post author By Admin
Post date June 23, 2022

While the DIY and home improvement segment is growing at a considerable speed, brands and retailers face an increasing number of challenges. In addition to greater competition, diversification and the rise of e-commerce, market players must deal with the risks associated with production for a very large product range that still lacks harmonized and mandatory global standards. On the other side, consumers are expecting higher levels of product functionality and performance while maintaining the durability and safety of the products purchased.

With these factors in mind, at API we put at your disposal our 20+ years’ experience working with some of the industry’s top players. We can help you minimize risks and meet your consumers’ expectations with our in-depth quality solutions for DIY and tools covering all the stages of your supply chain.

Our solutions include:

https://campaign-image.com/zohocampaigns/180659000003544031_zc_v34_diy_solutions_api_aug.png

Interested in discussing your challenges with our experts?

Tags Preventive Quality Management

Blogs

Audits for Supply Chain Sustainability and Transparency

Post author By Admin
Post date June 23, 2022

The supply chain is changing, with increasing consumer demand for sustainable products. Many large and small brands are struggling to adapt to this new demand for transparency at every stage of the product’s lifecycle: from the raw materials to the disposal or recycling at the end of the product’s life.

Sustainability is a key consideration influencing buying decisions together with quality, price, and health and safety:

Source: Accenture Survey April 2019 on 6,000 consumers in 11 countries
across North America, Europe and Asia

At API we can help you truly evaluate, verify and improve the environmental impact of your factories and processes to allow you to provide additional transparency to your consumers. Our team has more than a decade of experience in supply chain environmental sustainability across various products categories and a deep understanding of the different industry initiatives. We are, for example, one of the companies able to refer to the Higg Index* to provide verification and training solutions. We are uniquely positioned to understand the manufacturing process and its challenges thanks to our specialists being on the ground at the factories in real time.

We can support you from scratch in evaluating your supply chain with globally accredited assessment audit checklists or API’s tailor-made environmental audits checklists. Our personalized service, which follows API’s comprehensive environmental checklist and adapted corrective action plans, includes wide-ranging areas of assessment:

Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
Energy & Green House Gas Emissions (GHG)
Water consumption
Waste Water / Effluent Treatment
Emissions to air
Hazardous waste management
Hazardous chemical management

Interested in learning more about our environmental audit solutions?

Blogs

Improve Your Social Compliance

Post author By Admin
Post date June 23, 2022

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has evolved in recent years from being a ‘beneficial asset’ to a compliance requirement that’s also gaining influence in the buyers’ decision-making process. In 2018, 69% of consumers said they were influenced by brands’ ethical values and authenticity*. An adequate social compliance plan can support your brand in going one step beyond with associated benefits such an increased productivity. These benefits include, for example, an end to duplicated work processes or the implementation of better time management within your workforce.

At API, we offer tailor-made social audit assessments utilizing our experts’ knowledge in developing programs adapted to your needs, and implement ad-hoc plans based on the specific requirements that matter the most to you. We can help you meet your social compliance objectives and challenges that follow:

Global industry initiatives & local labor laws: Our experience, expertise and specialization ensure fast and comprehensive results
Your own code(s) of conduct: Our industry knowledge and on-the-ground know-how will evaluate and reinforce your objectives – because CSR could be a key asset for brand reputation and differentiation
API’s standard: We help you from scratch through personalized service specific to these areas

Looking to implement an effective corrective action plan after completion of a social compliance audit? You can benefit from API’s manufacturing experience and deep industry expertise that enables us to suggest informed and productive technical improvements. API’s technical experts will help you identify main factory issues and their root causes with a professional follow-up. You can increase your factory’s productivity with its available resources thanks to our experts’ recommendations on optimum corrective strategies.

Example: Increased supplier’s productivity based on its resources

Interested in our social audit solutions?

*Survey of 30,000 consumers in 35 countries, 2018 (Accenture)

Tags social compliance

Blogs

Fit for Use & Performance Testing

Post author By Admin
Post date June 23, 2022

Fit for Use & Performance Testing: Meeting Consumer Expectations by Going Beyond Simple Standardized and Regulatory Tests

In the increasingly competitive global marketplace, retailers face numerous issues when sourcing products. Their greatest challenge is to live up to — and even exceed — growing consumer expectations in a market saturated with products.

Since consumers have a wealth of options to choose from, they are no longer satisfied with products that merely meet their basic needs. They consider the minutest of details in regards to quality, construction, features, and price of products.

In considering knives, for example, consumers are no longer satisfied with a product that can simply slice their vegetables and meat. They look for knives with ergonomic handles that retain their edge for an extended period and meet a dozen other additional expectations.

In this competitive and demanding landscape, the necessity of Fit for Use and Performance Testing should not be underestimated.

Knives Sourcing Case Study

The following is a case study on sourcing knives. The purpose of this case study is to give a brief example of the various tests that will be conducted during a Fit for Use & Performance and about how a knife’s performance can be compared to that of IKEA knives and other competitors.

Benefits to the Client

Help you source knives that can pass a wide range of advanced performance tests. This can establish a benchmark for the product based on your brand current products and other similar products on the market. This standard can be used as a basis on which to make future products and improvements.
Come up with technical ad-hoc solutions for product performance.
Get an edge on the competitors by sourcing the most advanced knives possible.
Weeding out products that miss the mark on quality in terms of performance.

As you can see, in this global consumer-driven age, the necessity of Fit for Use & Performance Testing is absolutely crucial.

At API, we offer our clients a host of tailored solutions powered by our sister company AXIS to help your products stand out and go beyond the regulatory requirements of your destination markets. Our common objective? Your products fit their purpose and provide outstanding technical grounds to be chosen by your customers.

With 300+ product categories covered, 3,000+ tests performed, and +1,800 ad-hoc tests developed, AXIS – technological resource center of WORMS SAFETY – is able to provide tailor-made fit-for-use performance assessments of all household goods. AXIS has 20+ years’ experience in mechanical properties and performance, climatic aging, colorimetry and dimensional measurement.

Interested in learning more about how performance testing can bring competitive advantages to your products? Contact us today to receive a professional consultation and find out more about our Fit for Use and Performance solutions.

Tags Preventive Quality Management

Blogs

Sustainable Practices For Manufacturing Hard Goods

Post author By Admin
Post date June 23, 2022

Implementing sustainable business strategies is getting increasingly popular in the manufacturing industry as more prominent international and local industry players of all sizes acknowledge the long-term value of sustainable management for business growth and resilience.

Sustainable manufacturing starts with building a sustainability team for effective collaboration between managers, material experts, process engineers, product designers, production, procurement specialists, and environmental, health, and safety officers.

Engaging representatives from every department helps organizations to evaluate all the key sustainability aspects of the manufacturing process and understand how to work more effectively to save resources, time, and money.

Sustainable manufacturing has a lot to offer:

Integrating sustainability across business functions improves production processes and profitability
Using innovation, scenario planning, and strategic analysis reduces environmental, health, and safety risks and associated financial losses
Improving environmental performance helps ensure compliance with increasingly stringent regulatory constraints
Optimizing operational efficiencies reduces resource costs and industrial waste from production
Introducing stakeholder engagement policies helps train and retain qualified employees, builds long-term business viability and resilience
Strengthening brand reputation and public trust with a visible commitment to sustainability enhances sales and competitiveness on the market attracting new customers, partners, and investors.

Sustainable/Recycled Raw Materials

Choosing sustainable raw or recycled materials improves the resource efficiency and safety of the manufacturing, prevents eco-toxicity, extends the lifespan of many instruments and equipment, minimizing the risks and need for repairs.

Recycling materials preserves their embodied energy, so the amount of energy required for the recycling process is usually far less than the energy used for the primary production. The largest energy savings can be achieved by recycling metals and thus avoiding the energy-intensive mining and processing of ore. For example, recycling aluminium from scrap uses 88-95% less energy than primary aluminium production, secondary copper results in 15-65% energy savings. Lead can be effectively recycled multiple times without losing its properties with 60-75% energy savings compared to the primary lead production. Energy savings from recycling iron and steel can be up to 72%, beryllium recycling saves 80%, and 50% for recycling cadmium. An estimated 40% of the nickel used in the production of stainless steel comes from post-consumer stainless steel scrap resulting in 90% energy savings for the secondary nickel production. However, when it comes to recycling paper, although the secondary production requires 40% less energy than the primary production, more fossil fuels can actually be required for paper recycling.

Smart solutions like using antimicrobial copper alloys to protect solid surfaces from microbial contamination instead of using enhanced chemical cleaning protocols can prevent the spread of bacterial infections and reduce human exposure to toxic substances from the cleaning products. The EPA has registered 500 copper alloys including brass and bronze as capable of killing 99.9% of disease-causing, potentially deadly bacteria within two hours even after recontamination.

ECO Design

Sustainable product design strategies allow manufacturers to evaluate and address the environmental impacts throughout the entire life cycle of the product, optimize resource consumption, minimize energy use and waste during production and transportation of the products.

Incorporating sustainability considerations into product development ensures the long-term availability of materials and resources, helps achieve compliance with product quality and safety regulations, and avoid using harmful materials that can be restricted in some countries or highly likely to be banned in the future. Material choices and product design should incorporate the recycling capability and publish the specifications in their product declarations.

Sustainable Packaging

Sustainable packaging logistics help develop integrated packaging, product, and supply chain systems to ensure safe, efficient, and effective handling, transportation, distribution, storage, retail, use, reuse, recovery, and disposal of goods, minimizing the negative environmental impacts and risks, while maximizing the social and consumer value, sales, and profits. For example, replacing wasteful single-use containers, plastic, Styrofoam, cardboard, and pallets with reusable, recycled, and recyclable packaging like collapsible bulk boxes helps optimize the shipping, storage, and handling of hard goods.

The Sustainable Packaging Coalition defines the following criteria for sustainable packaging:

Designed to optimize the material and energy use
Sourced, manufactured, transported, and recycled using clean production technologies and best practices, renewable energy sources
Maximum use of renewable and recycled materials
Satisfying the market demand for performance and cost.
Healthy, safe, and beneficial for individuals and communities throughout the entire life cycle and in all probable end of life scenarios
Effectively recovered and utilized in biological and/or industrial cradle to cradle cycles.

Analysis of sustainable packaging logistics strategies shows that an upfront investment in sustainability actually accelerates the economic growth and profitability due to significant savings from multiple reuses, easier handling, less labor for assembling boxes and crates, smaller floor space use during storage and shipping, and reduced packaging costs per piece. Sustainable packaging gives a strategic competitive advantage to manufacturers, as it shows their commitment to implement the best industry practices, improves public trust, and strengthens their brand reputation.

Recycling Programs

Manufacturers are the primary consumers of recycled materials obtained from end-of-life products and industrial scrap, and they can also contribute to closed-loop material recycling. Incorporating waste recovery and recycling in-house as part of the manufacturing process or supplying scrap materials from production to other companies for recycling can reduce your company’s waste and associated costs. Utilizing scrap processing solutions and including post-consumer recycled materials like metal, plastic, paper, glass, rubber, electronics, or textiles as part of your manufacturing process can bring significant savings of energy, raw materials, and reduction in emissions from production.

It is important to remember that recycling is not the ultimate sustainable solution as it also consumes energy and water contributing to resource depletion and pollution. An efficient recycling program for manufacturing requires a detailed analysis of the environmental footprint including energy use at each phase of the recycling processes to determine the most sustainable recycling routes. To optimize the recycling processes, manufacturers must carefully develop their sustainable recycling strategies and the supporting structures, systems, performance goals, key performance indicators, measurements, and performance monitoring protocols.

Sustainable Factories

Incorporating diverse business intelligence tools, specialized sustainability software, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things (IoT) into your factory operations can help you predict, model, plan, monitor, and evaluate the efficiency of factory operations, adapt manufacturing workflows, conduct preventative maintenance, coordinate, and implement robust environmental, health, safety, and quality control systems to ensure continual performance improvement. The International Organization for Standardization has just released a new voluntary standard ISO/IEC 30141, Internet of Things (IoT) – Reference architecture that provides a framework with reusable designs and industry best practices that can help establish reliable, safe, secure systems for smart, sustainable manufacturing by gathering the key performance data, protecting the privacy, and preventing disruptions from cyber attacks and natural disasters

Sustainable Energy

The carbon footprint from manufacturing operations can be reduced through various energy-efficient solutions, and not all of them require much capital investment. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimates that renewables could reach up to 27% of the total manufacturing energy consumption by 2030 with the availability of affordable sustainable, biomass sources, and can further grow up to 34% due to carbon emissions trading. IRENA’s analysis shows that energy efficiency and renewable energy production are the most cost-effective methods for reducing the energy-related industrial CO2 emissions, but to achieve the climate objectives of the Paris Agreement renewables deployment must accelerate six times faster than today.

Investing in green energy production systems to support the manufacturing process like using biomethane obtained from renewable resources instead of the natural gas can make manufacturing self-sufficient and carbon-neutral. Rethinking the lighting positions, schedule, and intensity of lights to target work areas more effectively helps avoid wasting energy, reduce electricity bills, and improve the working conditions for employees.

Hazardous Waste

Manufacturing waste often contains elements classified as hazardous, which may accumulate in production areas that are difficult to access, posing health and safety risks to employees. Using non-toxic materials for production, finding sustainable alternatives to traditional chemical solutions, and extending the life cycle of the chemistry, can significantly reduce the quantity of waste production, prevent employee exposure to toxic solvents and fumes, reduce costs for hazardous material disposal, and ease the environmental regulatory burden on the company.

API Sustainability Services

Our team unites experts in sustainable manufacturing practices with extensive experience in environmental management, material assessment, and recycling.

API Recycling Verification Services will help verify and validate the authenticity of your recycled products, processes, and raw material sources.

Supply chain traceability and verification

Tracking your products back to the source and authenticating the raw material sources.
Assessment and validation of the percentage of post-consumer recycled content, post-industrial recycled content or total recycled content contained in a product

Recycled product footprint – calculating the sustainability impacts of your recycled products

Recycled content preparation and validation – consulting service to help you ensure a recycled product has the right percentage of recycled content

Contact us today to receive a professional consultation on introducing effective sustainability strategies, incorporating recycling programs into your manufacturing process, developing supporting protocols, systems, performance goals, indicators, measurements, and more.

For more information about sustainability in manufacturing, click here.

All data is quoted from and belongs to published literature. API does not hold any responsibility for the accuracy, timeliness or validity of any data or information.

Tags social compliance, Supplier Relationship Management

Blogs

Mold: The Unspoken Supply Chain Issue

Post author By Admin
Post date June 23, 2022

Managing supply chain risk and disruption is currently one of the key priorities globally. In addition, many companies are rethinking their entire supply chain model, from raw materials to finished products. In that context, mold remains one of the issues that, while sometimes overlooked, may have an irreversible impact on different product types such as furniture made out of wood or natural materials, leather furniture and decorative items or soft and stuffed toys.

Mold is not a new problem for suppliers, brands, and retailers, yet it has been accentuated since the ban on chemicals and anti-mold agents such as 2-Naphthol, P-Nitrophenol, pentachlorophenol, sodium arsenite, copper arsenite, chromate, dimethyl fumarate, etc. Additionally, there remains a lack of preventive measures in many factories, leading to the identification of the issue when it is too late.

In the current context of uncertainty, factories and brands are increasing their stocks of materials, components, and finished products and storing them for longer, leaving them ill-prepared to tackle mold prevention. The level of risk varies depending on the area and factory, but it remains a topic worth addressing when working with a new supplier. One additional variable to take into account is the type of product. Some materials need the right balance between dryness and humidity; for example, wood and bamboo require a certain humidity to avoid cracks. If the level becomes too high, it might lead to mold generation and potentially ruin the entire production.

Mold was among the top 10 most common microorganisms in non-food product recalls between 2005 and 2018
Source: FEMS Microbiology Letters, Dec 2019, Oxford Academic

Mold Formation: A close-up What is mold?

Mold is a destructive fungus that can grow in a high number of materials and be highly damaging if not adequately treated. Mold is reproduced by spores that can travel great distances and affect products from the early stages of development or even during shipping.

What are the main categories affected in the hardlines industry?

Leather items
Wood and natural materials
Soft toys
Packaging

What are the main associated risks?
Depending on the degree and the stage at which mold is identified, it can lead to:

Product damage (bad smell, stains, material damage…)
Product recalls
Negative brand impact

What are the main reasons for mold formation?

Process (ex. finishing line cooling units malfunctioning or non-existing)
Lack of environmental control in factory or warehouse
Raw materials / finished goods subjected to hot and humid conditions
Transportation conditions
Climatic conditions (ex. countries with high temperature and humidity are ideal for mold growth)

Climatic Conditions in Some Countries Favor Mold Formation

Ideal conditions for mold formation: pH 5, Temperature (25 – 37 degrees), humidity (56 – 90% RH), 3-7 days growth period. Environmental conditions combined with mold spores naturally occurring have a big impact on mold generation, making June to October critical months

Mold remains one of the unspoken issues of the supply chain. There are many factors to consider, but is mold an issue that can be prevented? The answer is yes. There are many solutions available to tackle the problem, and the earlier in the supply chain the problem can be addressed, the lower your chances of affecting your production.

API can support you in your mold prevention from the early stages of development. Our solutions include:

Technical audit: review of the whole factory at system level to evaluate general conditions leading to mold formation
Warehouse assessment: visual control and humidity measurements of warehouse conditions, storage and dispatch of goods, etc.
Training on mold formation: tailor-made training based on actual factory and warehouse processes
Testing and risk evaluation
Re-inspection of long-term stored raw materials, components or finished goods

Interested in learning more about how our mold prevention solutions can help prepare factories and suppliers avoid mold generation, even in the critical monsoon season?

Blogs

Sourcing Diversification: New Countries, New Risks

Post author By Admin
Post date June 23, 2022

With the outbreak of COVID-19, it became clear for many companies that there was a need for diversification in their supply chain-sourcing base. Businesses worldwide have become dependent on China, but leaving the country is not an option for all of them. The trend of avoiding trade war-related tariffs that had already started a few months earlier is persisting and brings new options to the table.

China’s advanced role in global manufacturing makes it almost irreplaceable in the short term. Although the diversification of manufacturing options mitigates the risk of one central point of production, the challenges of new developing sourcing locations are to be assessed within the development of a new sourcing strategy. Vietnam, India and Indonesia seem to be some of the preferred destinations for upper-end furniture goods, while Malaysia is typically targeted for promotional to lower-middle price wood and upholstery items. Other industries, such as toys and DIY, are also changing their focus to other sourcing locations, with India a top destination followed by other SEA countries such as Vietnam.

what are some of the challenges to keep in mind?

China has been an industrial superpower for the last decade, accounting in 2018 for 28% of global manufacturing output. The mature industrial setup developed by the manufacturing powerhouse is yet to be replicated by some of the new manufacturing countries. In many occasions, a shift or sourcing diversification is not supported with the addition of local teams on-site, which combined with the current travel restrictions, lack of knowledge of the local manufacturing practices, and the impossibility to replicate the systems already functioning in China due to its inadequacy with the local situation, increases the risk of compromising the production’s safety and quality.

68% of companies considering sourcing out of China think of product quality as the greater risk
(Source: PwC ‘Global Sourcing Shifting Strategies’ report)

Some of the main challenges of the new sourcing destinations include:

Lack of parts and components locally
As an example, the furniture industry may face shortages of some metals and stone when producing in Vietnam, limited access to some wood species and components in Indonesia, or inadequate access in India to some hardware.

Less globally qualified workforce
Although some areas benefit from a highly skilled workforce, some countries present challenges when compared with China’s mature market, such as more limited finishing capabilities or limitations when working with some materials.

Lack of traceability of process and engineering changes
Reduced visibility in terms of product development and adjustments in the manufacturing process increases the need for a more accurate and standardized manufacturing process when compared with China.

New setups and lack of previous experience
The new processes make it difficult for the local workforce to prevent inadequate factory practices and anticipate risks.

Systems not adjusted to real risks of quality and safety
Limited risk mitigation before design and production results in products of potentially lower quality, and longer lead times.

Specialized solutions, such as technical audits, can help mitigate these risks in addition to assessing new suppliers when shifting sourcing locations and helping to secure production.

A technical audit will allow you to identify whether the factory can correctly manage the supply chain and has an adequate setup to mitigate risks. A factory with good procedures, instructions, and a clear record will be more likely to run properly – even with a less experienced workforce – thus reducing the risk of product quality and safety.

Some of the common points checked during a technical audit will cover:

Quality management
Product development
Incoming quality control
Production process control
Finished product quality control
Resource management
Measuring and testing equipment control

Our Technical Solutions

At API, we support our clients in their relocation to new destinations, helping them assess their suppliers’ risk.

Our proven experience has strengthened our customers’ ‘out of China’ strategies, benefiting from our expertise and supply chain knowledge. For example, we supported one of our customers in the relocation of some of their furniture lines to India with a tailor-made program with eight key steps that allowed the brand to shift a significant part of its orders in less than six months.

“A tailor-made program with eight key steps allowed the brand to shift a significant part of its orders in less than six months”

Some of the critical points addressed were:

Identification of the local manufacturing specificities and inadequate factory practices
Product risk and quality improvement
Lead time improvement

Some of our solutions to support brands, retailers and manufacturers in their relocation to a new sourcing location include:

Technical Audits: Our technical audit solutions cover the critical points addressed by industry standards, and our expert approach combines product expertise and manufacturing knowledge.
Dedicated Local Support: A lack of local support from your own teams in a new sourcing location can be remedied with API’s Dedicated Local Technical Support Program. Benefiting from our experts’ support on-site will allow a smoother relocation and help maintain quality during production thanks to an adequate risk assessment, resulting in process amelioration and improved product quality.

Interested in learning more about how we can support you in shifting sourcing locations?

Blogs

Anticipating Toy Risks at the Early Stages of Development

Post author By Admin
Post date June 23, 2022

The toy and children-related industries are responsible for guaranteeing the safety of their product categories to make ‘play safe’ for the little ones of the house. This presents the challenge of meeting stringent regulations while ensuring the timely delivery of finished goods that meet consumer expectations. A deeper focus on safety and compliance is already in place within most industry players, including manufacturers, importers and retailers.

Despite global authorities and consumer associations putting the safety of vulnerable young consumers first, many risks and non-compliances are still uncovered. In Europe alone, toys were among the most notified products in 2018, representing 31% of the RAPEX alerts.

Source: RAPEX 2018 Annual Report

Many precautions can be taken to secure the supply chain and help reduce risks throughout the production process such as factory audits, in-line inspections or in-production assessments. But there are some measures that can be adopted even before production starts, allowing brands to anticipate risks, including:

Toy / non-toy classification

Although toy regulations in different countries give clear guidance on the classification of a product as a toy, there are some borderline products that are occasionally difficult to classify. In some specific cases it is necessary to evaluate additional criteria in order to classify a product as a toy. For example, in Europe, the Toy Safety Directive provides the following criteria: ‘Any product designed or intended whether or not exclusively for use in play by children under 14 years of age’. A similar definition is used in the USA in the standard ASTM F963: ‘toy- any object designed, manufactured, or marketed as a plaything for children under 14 years of age’.

The main difficulty here relates to the concept of ‘use in play’ or ‘plaything’. Most objects have a play value for children, but this does not mean they fall within the toy category. The ‘play value’ must be intended by the manufacturer and not as a result of the child’s preference for an object. If the manufacturer labels the product as a ‘non-toy’ it needs to be able to support this claim.

Adequate age recommendation and corresponding marking

This indicates the safety of a toy based on following capabilities:

Physical ability of the child to play with the toy
Mental ability of the child to know how to use the toy
Play needs and interests present at various levels of the child development
Safety aspects of a particular toy

Consumers rely on the age recommendation provided by the manufacturer on the toy’s packaging when choosing a product that will match the interests and the skills of the child. The age recommendation also plays an essential role in guaranteeing the child’s safety, ensuring they are not exposed to toys that are too small and that can present a choking hazard.

One frequent issue in the industry comes from an inadequate age recommendation that is usually found prior to shipment during a Pre-Shipment Test. Identifying this issue at the end of the production once all the packaging has been printed will require either the reproduction of all packaging or a ‘re-sticking’ of the adequate marking on all existing packaging. This results in additional cost as well as a delay in shipping.

Risk management on design or prototype

Identification of the possible risks regarding:

Choking
Falling or drowning
Suffocation and strangulation
Other injuries

Additional added value: Performance and fit-for-play

When bringing a toy to the market, it is not only important to consider its expected use but also to simulate the actual and potential use by the child. While regulatory requirements ensure safety standards are met, there is still a risk that young children will misuse the toy. Identifying such risks is possible when evaluating the product from a performance perspective using adapted, tested protocols that take safety one step further.

For example, a product not adapted to the size of the child can bring some additional risks despite the item being compliant. In the case of a mask for instance, if the product is too large for the child it will most likely obscure its vision when wearing it, thus resulting in an increased risk of accidents occurring.

How to anticipate these risks?

Relying on third-party expertise can help you anticipate these risks through support from the early stages of development. An adequate risk evaluation from the stages of product design and prototype can help you avoid ‘fail’ results in pre-production tests, or even worse, in pre-shipment tests. This early intervention will save you time and money.

At API, our product and manufacturing expertise – acquired daily on-the-ground – allows us to identify and anticipate risks before they reach the production line. Our toy experts can guide and assess your teams from the design and prototype stages, helping you manage risks and make your products safer. We work closely with toy committees, staying abreast of changes in standards and regulations and receiving the latest news on the current areas of concern and hot industry topics.

Some of our preventive solutions for toys include:

Product Validation Report: Exhaustive report highlighting the specifications of the golden sample and flagging critical points that could represent a safety or quality risk. It includes an evaluation of the functionality and performance from an end-user perspective and in-depth evaluation of the toy marking.
Collection Review: Product review in showroom, allowing identification of risks and non-conformity of mechanical issues, and advice from our experts and recommendations on product amelioration.
Risk Assessment on design or prototype: Risk evaluation at the initial stages of development. It allows to identify critical points for improvement and to receive recommendations from our experts for increased product safety.
Marking verification: Review of regulatory marking and instruction manual adapted to the adequate age grade.
Recommendations on performance and fit-for-play: Adapted tailor-made protocols that simulate the toy utilization by a child.
Pre-production test

Talk to our experts to find the right solution for your needs in anticipating the risks in your toy production.

Blogs

The rise of sustainability in the furniture industry

Post author By Admin
Post date June 23, 2022

Attitudes toward sustainability are shifting, and it has become increasingly important for brands and retailers to participate in green initiatives and develop more sustainable products and processes.

Consumers worldwide are demanding more and more sustainable products across many segments, and industries are working quickly to adapt. It is no different in the furniture sector, where growing numbers of consumers are looking for sustainable equipment for their homes and offices.

According to the 2021 Green Home Furnishings Consumer Study by the Sustainable Furnishings Council, many consumers are concerned about environmental issues such as global warming, indoor air quality, and deforestation. Practicing eco-friendly habits has become nearly universal, and purchases of environmentally safe furnishings are on the rise.

The three most important attributes respondents said they look for when purchasing furniture were unchanged from previous years, but sustainability concerns entered in the fourth position for the first time:

Style (100%)
Quality (98%)
Fair price (95%)
Made with materials and processes that do not harm the environment (86%)

According to the report, over 96% of home furnishings purchasers would choose eco-friendly home furnishings if they liked the style and the price was within their budget.

Source: 2021 Green Home Furnishings Consumer Study by the Sustainable Furnishings Council

This change in consumer preferences confirms that we are at a stage in which integrating sustainability into a company’s strategy will help it achieve a competitive advantage in the long term. There are additional reasons to shift toward a more environmentally sustainable process, including ensuring environmental compliance, corporate responsibility and transparency, saving costs with better use of natural resources, and improving the positive impact on the planet.

One of the issues the sector faces in the journey toward a more sustainable supply chain is a lack of knowledge not only from consumers but also from the different players along the product’s lifecycle. Although there has been significant improvement in recent years, sustainability remains an overwhelming topic for many furniture industry players.

Becoming more sustainable can start with small steps in any stage of the product lifecycle, such as more sustainable materials, manufacturing practices, or transportation.

Seven of the key areas that apply to environmental sustainability are:

1. Environmental management systems
2. Energy and GHG emissions
3. Water use
4. Wastewater management
5. Emissions to air
6. Waste management
7. Chemical management

Where is the best place to begin? The importance of a good start is to have a solid understanding of the supply chain and its different suppliers from the outset until the finished product. It will then be possible to define realistic objectives and a clear road map at both the brand and the supply chain level.

Five steps to begin your journey

1. Understand your supply chain
2. Define your objectives
3. Supply chain assessment (environmental & chemical management)
4. Product level sustainability
5. Traceability assessment

API’s SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS

At API, we help our customers in their sustainability journey, no matter their level of maturity in the topic. Our sustainability experts can help evaluate, verify, and improve the environmental impact of your products and processes with our strategic and tailor-made solutions. We can adapt our services to your needs using a global framework, your own framework, or by helping you from scratch with API’s bespoke framework.

Our solutions cover:

Environmental management solutions
Chemical management solutions
Product sustainability and traceability solutions
Leather sustainability solutions
Hardgoods training resource center

You can find out more about our solutions here.

Interested in learning how we can help your brand with a tailored sustainability assessment?

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ESG AND SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS

INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS

TECHNICAL ADVISORY

DIY & Home Improvement: Our 20+ Years’ Expertise

Fit for Use & Performance Testing: Meeting Consumer Expectations by Going Beyond Simple Standardized and Regulatory Tests

Benefits to the Client

Sustainable/Recycled Raw Materials

ECO Design

Sustainable Packaging

Recycling Programs

Sustainable Factories

Sustainable Energy

Hazardous Waste

API Sustainability Services

Mold Formation: A close-up What is mold?

what are some of the challenges to keep in mind?

Our Technical Solutions

How to anticipate these risks?

Five steps to begin your journey

API’s SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS

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