HCMC - TÜV SÜD on Tuesday announced to offer guidance on regulations set by the European Union (EU) for imported apparel, footwear, leather goods and textiles months after the global technical services provider opened a testing laboratory in HCMC.
TÜV SÜD said in a statement obtained by the Daily on Tuesday that suppliers in Vietnam would be assisted with complete understanding of EU regulations for REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical substances) applicable to apparel, footwear, leather goods and textiles imports.
The service will enable the suppliers to access and penetrate key EU markets as well as to expand their market shares.
“Suppliers in Vietnam, especially those in the apparel and soft-lines industries, will have significant competitive advantages over their competitors to access the EU market when they fully understand stringent EU regulations,” said Suresh N Somou, general director of TÜV SÜD PSB Vietnam.
Suresh added better understanding about the regulations and requirements would make it easy for suppliers in Vietnam to classify their products and determine the individual obligations to fulfill according to product type, place of manufacture and role in the supply chain.
Chong Weng Hoe, chief executive officer of TÜV SÜD PSB Pte Ltd., clarified TÜV SÜD was able to help suppliers with REACH training, formulating short-term and long-term REACH strategies, conducting chemical testing on products, as well as keeping them updated of the latest changes in relevant regulations.
TÜV SÜD did not say how much it charges for the guidance service but stressed that suppliers would meet the complex requirements for REACH compliance through a simple and step-by-step approach provided by the company.
The company said consumers were increasingly aware that hazardous quantities of restricted chemical substances in products would pose threats to health, safety and the environment. Therefore, failure to comply with regulatory requirements would result in costly product recalls and damage to brand reputation.
As European retailers and importers are now under greater pressure to ensure that their products meet the necessary regulatory requirements, they require their non-EU suppliers to fully follow REACH compliance.
In May this year, TÜV SÜD announced the opening of its laboratory worth millions of U.S. dollars in Tan Binh Industrial Park in HCMC to provide testing, inspection and certification services for textiles, clothing and footwear products.
