Therefore, suppliers of private label items to A.S. Watson/Kruidvat must create a Technical File in ProductIP's web-based solution and share this with A.S. Watson/Kruidvat. As a result, they can efficiently review the information shared by all the supply chain partners in a standard way, create EU Declarations of Conformity when required, and demonstrate to authorities that products meet the regulatory requirements. And this is for ten years, regardless of what happens with supply chain partners. Read more here.
1. Create an account in the ProductIP platform.
Go to www.ProductIP.com. In the main top menu, you will find a REGISTER NOW option. Click on this and follow the instructions to create your account. There is no setup fee. Also, there are no running costs.
Click here for the special A.S. Watson/Kruidvat Suppliers Guide.
2. Buy credits
You must create the Technical Files for A.S. Watson/Kruidvat at your own expense. However, sharing with A.S. Watson/Kruidvat is free for you and A.S. Watson/Kruidvat.
You are free to use these technical files you have created to make your compliance efforts clear to others. After all, it is your technical file.
You must buy at least two credits to make one technical file. One technical file covers the product compliance aspects of a similar range of products from one manufacturing source. So it is not one technical file per SKU!
What items can merge into one file? Think of products with colour and size variations from one supplier - from the same production process. However, merging SKUs into one file could not be as straightforward as you think when proving compliance with Food Contact Materials legislation.
ProductIP is a web-based solution. Buying credits is just like ordering goods online. First, you buy the credits online. Next, you will receive an email confirmation of your order, a PDF of the invoice attached, and a payment link. When you use this payment link, the credits will be credited directly to your account once we receive the payment, and you can use them immediately. We call it our Pay-As-You-Go model.
Alternatively, you can buy more credits in one go and use them to cover multiple technical files. Credits have a validity of one year. However, you will be reminded in due time and can extend the credits' validity by purchasing some additional ones.
Paying by bank transfer is possible but could delay adding credits to your account. When using a bank transfer, mention the ProductIP invoice number in the payment reference.
3. You can now start creating your first files.
Follow our manual and watch our videos to start this process step by step. The process steps in ProductIP follow the flow as required by compliance legislation. We didn't invent it; we automated it.
You should also have received item information, specification, and EAN code from A.S. Watson/Kruidvat. You will need this information when you start a Technical File.
4. The file is complete. What is the next step?
Once you have completed the technical file, please share it with A.S. Watson/Kruidvat for their review. (see also the manual).
The preferred schedule is to share a complete technical file no later than ten weeks before the scheduled action date.
You can create technical files all by yourself. We call this DIY mode or "Do-It-Yourself". However, there can be situations where there is a need for more support. You can activate additional service levels, such as:
Connect - We help connecting the supplier
Review -We review the technical file that you have created.
Organise - We review the documents you have uploaded and, when they prove relevant, use them to sign off on the requirement list.
FAST - Our full-service option. We get to work for you.
For more explanation, see our manual
You can find an up-to-date overview of our services and prices here.
Why is A.S. Watson/Kruidvat following this approach?
Contact Marieke Pastink at pastink@nl.aswatson.com and Chantal Nijveld at nijveld@nl.aswatson.com to learn more about the reasoning behind this A.S. Watson/Kruidvat approach.
What is Product Compliance
There is a lot of information available on ProductIPedia. Not only on general laws and regulations but also on specific aspects. For beginners and experts. The articles are in English but directly translatable into many languages. Also useful if you want to share something with a supplier.
Sharing with A.S. Watson/Kruidvat
ProductIP is a sharing platform for compliance information. You can share your file with a customer, such as A.S. Watson/Kruidvat. Also a manufacturer in Asia can start with a dossier, and then share that dossier back with you so you can add things to that, and you have the information for the market regulator. Again, you can share such a received file with the customer. Receiving and sharing is free. Only creating and updating a requirement checklist, the basis of the dossier costs money. Did you know that we monitor the status of all dossiers, including those you received via sharing. So everyone can always see if the requirement checklist in a file is still suitable to support the conformity of a subsequent order! Read more here.
A.S. Watson Health & Beauty Benelux has formulated a social compliance policy for its private label products. They focus on supply chain transparency and ensuring fair and safe working conditions at production sites. Their quality department must be aware of the production site and their social compliance status. This information will NOT be used for commercial purposes other than checking the social compliance status of the production sites. Upon request, A.S. Watson can provide a confidentiality agreement.
For more information download the A.S. Watson / Kruidvat supplier directory here;
Social Compliance supplier directory NL
Social Compliance supplier directory EN
It will not have escaped your notice. There is a lot of concern about unsafe products being sold. The newspapers are full of it. As a result, the pressure on the market to do more about, what is called product compliance, is increasing.
Thanks to the web-based ProductIP, you can make tangible steps. Thanks to ProductIPedia, you can do this at your own time and pace. In this way, you and your customer can build up an excellent business based on products that meet requirements.
Errors on packaging, instructions or labels? Usually, there is something wrong with the product in the packaging. But, of course, the regulators know that too.
When you and your supplier pay attention to product conformity, you prevent your company, your brand, from becoming low-hanging fruit for the supervisors, such as the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).
Tip from the market leader in this field: start with a Artwork check of your most important product and use our feedback to improve similar products in your range.
A plate, a cup, a knife, a pan, and the barbecue grill are all products that come into contact with food, Food Contact Materials (FCM).
Food contact legislation does not require a CE marking, but the requirements are stringent. There is even a specific EU Food Contact Materials Declaration of conformity. The aim of the legislation is straightforward: FCM must not alter the food or bring about any deterioration in its organoleptic characteristics. In simple terms, the FCM that touch food must not change it or endanger human health.
If you want to know more about this matter quickly, start with our basic training in chemical risks followed by our Food Contact Materials training!
There is much to learn about product compliance. ProductIP has been sharing knowledge with the market via Compliance Tuesday sessions for almost ten years. We are also launching a series of online Compliance Tuesday Tips & Tricks. Together with the information in ProductIPedia, these short video presentations help you on your way. Do not miss an edition and register now!
Product compliance is part of doing business. Integrating it into your processes is hard work but necessary to compete in your market tomorrow. Fortunately, ProductIP provides you with current tools and relevant knowledge in ProductIPedia.
Thanks to ProductIPedia, you learn at your own time and pace everything you need to know about product compliance. You will find videos and articles on the use of the platform, the latest developments and background information on laws and regulations. In addition, the English articles can instantly translate into various languages. Great for your German colleague, your French customer, your Chinese supplier! Feel free to share them!
An extensive article in the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad about dozens of products, removed from the market because they appeared to be unsafe, but still sold online via webshops such as bol.com, Amazon, Wish, V&D and Ali-Express. Not good. But how to change this? Perhaps it starts with an increase of awareness and basic knowledge;
These are some of the questions we will answer in our Compliance Tuesday Tips & Tricks videos. So do not miss an edition and register now!
You have probably received a letter from A.S. Watson/Kruidvat because you will be supplying Private Label items to them. In that case, they will be seen by regulators as a brand owner, and thus will have the same duties and responsibilities as a manufacturer. Therefore, suppliers of Private Label items from A.S. Watson/Kruidvat should create a Technical File in ProductIP's web-based solution, and share it with A.S. Watson/Kruidvat. So that it can demonstrate that these products meet regulatory requirements.
A.S. Watson has chosen ProductIP as its partner because it offers both parties many advantages such as:
A.S. Watson/Kruidvat also uses this route to fulfill its social compliance objectives. Read more here.
ProductIP is a web-based SAAS solution. That stands for: Software As A Service. We develop new functionality at our own risk. You don't have to invest in IT. The same goes for our legislative and regulatory database. We monitor for you what is happening in Brussels and the various Member States!
ProductIP is a sharing platform for compliance information. You can share your dossier with a customer, such as A.S. Watson/Kruidvat. Also a manufacturer in Asia can start with a dossier, and then share that dossier again with you so you can add things to it, and you have the information for the market regulator. Again, you can share such a received file with the customer. Receiving and sharing is free. Only creating and updating a requirement checklist, the basis of the dossier costs money. Did you know that we monitor the status of all dossiers, including those you received via sharing. So everyone can always see whether the requirement checklist in a dossier is still suitable to support the conformity of a subsequent order!
You can create a dossier based on your own item numbers. At the time of sharing the dossier with your customer, you can indicate what their item numbers are. Important when sharing with A.S. Watson/Kruidvat is the EAN code. Make sure you include the barcode (EAN) in the 'share' screen. After sharing, the A.S. Watson/Kruidvat team will review the technical file and provide feedback if (part of) the file is out of order. After adjustments, you can share the technical file again for review.
PS Did you know that ProductIP's document viewer has a built-in redaction tool. You can use it to block references to suppliers (white or black) if necessary. The platform then creates a new document containing a watermark so the recipient knows that, should the need arise, you have the original.
ProductIP enables you to establish and manage product compliance with your supply chain partners efficiently, transparently and proactively. Companies use ProductIP because they see compliance management as a means to ensure customer loyalty and stay ahead of the competition. Our product compliance management solution helps you in the process of buying and selling safe and compliant products. How?
We transform complex product compliance legislation into understandable information, in a process that is in line with what the authorities expect from you. A process that starts with something you need to understand, the product. The result is something called a technical dossier. You use a technical file to demonstrate the product compliance, and your efforts, of a similar range, a family, of products, from one supplier. A technical dossier contains specifications, drawings, test reports and other documents necessary to enable all stakeholders in the supply chain to demonstrate product compliance.
We also offer informative guides, document templates and much more.
We have the most comprehensive and up-to-date database of product-related technical standards, regulations and requirements. Following our questions and answers, you will generate a list of requirements for your specific product. Now you can make informed decisions when buying products, delivering products to your customer or when problems arise in the marketplace.
Using our web-based solution, you can demonstrate product compliance with database requirements using technical files. With our product compliance management software, you create, manage and share technical files, along with your suppliers and other stakeholders.
A technical file contains all the evidence needed to demonstrate that a product meets relevant legal and customer requirements. Documents can include certificates, declarations of conformity, test reports, inspection results and more.
The basis for the technical file is a comprehensive and verified requirements list. This list is generated by ProductIP, based on the answers to a series of questions;
You are the owner of the technical dossier. Continue to use the technical file to check the conformity of the product. Share it to other customers when they order products. Use it to check if the requirements list is still relevant for repeat orders.
You can also share (part of) the file with an inspection agency to conduct pre-shipment inspections, or with authorities to demonstrate your compliance efforts. Or generate an EU Declaration of Conformity - "The CE Declaration" - in one of 21 languages in seconds!
Get started with online training and our guides!
We have compiled instructional materials and answers to frequently asked regulatory questions and collected them in ProductIPedia.
Learn more about Product Compliance through our Compliance Tuesday sessions, workshops and trainings. Check out our event calendar and reserve your spot!
No time available? Outsource!
We have a full-service solution. We call it FAST service, File Assembly Support Team. Extremely useful in case you don't have time, or feel you lack experience.
With our offices in the Netherlands, Germany, England, China and Hong Kong, we currently support 27,000 users. The majority are small business owners or small and medium-sized enterprises. They can get on perfectly well with our Pay-As-You-Go model. No significant investments are required. Only spend when there are opportunities. That's fine. But as soon as you approach 270 new product groups per year, and the organisation is somewhat larger, perhaps with international branches, it makes sense to grow into our Enterprise model.
Download our services overview, give us some insight into your ambitions, and leave your contact details. Then, we will get in touch with you.
