SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, has published an article in its new Product Conformity Assessment (PCA) Newsletter that explains how exporters to Kenya are affected by changes to its pre-export verification of conformity (PVoC) program.

Kenya has recently updated the operational procedures for their PVoC Program. These changes include the removal of two routes for accessing Kenyan markets – Routes A1 and D – and changes to the products that are not eligible for Routes B and C. These latter two routes are now also subject to advanced surveillance.

SGS has been accredited by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBs) to provide PVoC services for over 15 years.

Learn more about the changes to Kenya’s PVoC Program’s operational procedures in the new SGS PCA Newsletter.

Read the original PCA Newsletter article, ‘Welcome to our PVoC Kenya Community’

SGS Product Conformity Assessment (PCA) Services

SGS assists companies around the world in successfully accessing markets in Africa and the Middle East. Utilizing an unrivalled network of industry specialists and state-of-the-art laboratories, they provide high-quality conformity assessment solutions to exporters in all industry sectors. SGS is also contracted by several governments to provide pre-export verification of conformity (or PVoC) services. In the end, it’s only trusted because it’s tested. Learn more about SGS PCA Services.

Subscribe here (selecting the topic Government & Trade Facilitation at Step 2), to receive the SGS PCA Newsletter direct to your inbox.

For more information, please contact: 

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website: www.sgs.com/cp

LinkedIn: www.sgs.com/linkedinconsumer  

About SGS

We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. Our 96,000 employees operate a network of 2,600 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.

SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, is helping toy manufacturers understand recent changes to Switzerland’s Toys Ordinance.

Switzerland published Official Collection 2022 125 in February 2022, thereby revising its mechanism for regulating toy safety – the Ordinance of the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) on the Safety of Toys (Toys Ordinance).

The Toys Ordinance contains elements from a variety of sources, including European Union (EU) Directive 2009/48/EC, the so-called Toy Safety Directive (TSD), and Annex XVII of Regulation (EC) 1907/2006 on Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH).

The recent amendment further aligns the requirements in the Toys Ordinance with those in the TSD, including:

• Amending the requirements for allergenic fragrances to be consistent with Directives (EU) 2020/2088 and (EU) 2020/2089 by:
• Adding 3,7-dimethyl-2-octen-1-ol (6,7-dihydrogeraniol) to Annex 2 Part 3 Point 9a entry 10 under Chemical Properties – the Prohibited List
• Deleting methyl heptane carbonate from Annex 2 Part 3 Point 9b Entry 10 under Chemical Properties – the Labelling List
• New restriction on aniline in certain toys:
• Intended for children under 36 months
• Intended to be placed in the mouth

The Prohibited List contains allergenic fragrances that are prohibited but their presence is allowed provided it is technically unavoidable under good managing practice (GMP) and each fragrance is no more than 100 mg/kg.

The Labeling List contains allergenic fragrances that must be listed on the toy, packaging, affixed label or accompanying leaflet if their concentrations are greater than 100 mg/kg

The requirements for aniline cover textile and leather materials – no more than 30 mg/kg after reductive cleavage – and finger paints:

• No more than 30 mg/kg after reductive cleavage
• No more than 10 mg/kg as free aniline

Official Collection 2022 125 also contains a list of the latest set of toy safety standards that demonstrate presumption of conformity:

• SN EN 71-1+A1:2018 ‘Mechanical and physical’
• SN EN 71-2:2021 ‘Flammability’
• SN EN 71-3+A1:2021 ‘Migration of certain elements’
• SN EN 71-4:2021 ‘Experimental sets for chemistry and related activities’
• SN EN 71-5:2016 ‘Chemical toys (sets) other than experimental sets’
• SN EN 71-7+A3:2020 ‘Finger paints’
• SN EN 71-8:2018 ‘Activity toys for domestic use’
• SN EN 71-12:2017 ‘N-nitrosamines and N-nitrosatable substances’
• SN EN 71-13:2021 ‘Olfactory board games, cosmetic kits and gustative game’
• SN EN 71-14:2019 ‘Trampolines for domestic use’
• SN EN IEC 62115:2020 with amendment A11:2020 ‘Electric toy safety’

These amendments came into effect on March 15, 2022. Official Collection 2022 125 states that toys which do not comply with allergenic fragrance requirements under Annex 2 in the latest amendment may be manufactured and imported under the previous law until March 14, 2023. They may then be sold to consumers until stocks are exhausted.

SGS Toy & Juvenile Product Services

SGS offers a wide range of services to ensure that products comply with relevant standards for childcare articles and children’s equipment. They provide consulting, training, product development, testing, audit and inspection services to ensure that products comply with strict regulations worldwide, demonstrating the safety and quality of juvenile products being brought to the market. After all, it’s only trusted because it’s tested. Learn more about SGS’s Toy & Juvenile Product Services.

SGS SafeGuardS keep you up to date with the latest news and developments in the consumer goods industry. Read the full Switzerland Revises Toys Ordinance SafeGuardS.

Subscribe here to receive SGS SafeGuardS direct to your inbox.

For further information contact:

Dr. HingWo Tsang

Global Information and Innovation Manager

Tel: (+852) 2774 7420

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website: www.sgs.com/hardlines

LinkedIn: sgs-consumer-goods-&-retail

About SGS

We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. Our 93,000 employees operate a network of 2,600 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.

Lakefront Living International, LLC, a national real estate franchise company focused exclusively on the buying and selling of lakefront and lake community properties, is expanding their franchise business and actively seeking franchisees in North Carolina.

Dedicated to providing their unique business model to real estate agents who share their passion for the lakefront lifestyle, Lakefront Living International has announced partnerships are available in the Lake Norman region and beyond. With 520 miles of shoreline, Lake Norman is the largest man-made, freshwater lake in North Carolina that touches four counties - Catawba, Iredell, Lincoln and Mecklenburg. It’s located close to Charlotte airport and is easily accessible via highway.

In addition to Lake Norman, the most popular lakes in North Carolina include Lake Wylie, Lake James, Lake Hickory, Lake Lure, Lake Toxaway, Lake Rhodhiss, High Rock Lake, Badin Lake, Mountain Island Lake, Lake Adger, and Jordan Lake - and all available lakefront properties may be browsed in LakefrontLiving.com’s extensive database of North Carolina lakefront homes.
    
Changing Lives One Lake House at a Time
Lakefront Living International franchisees, known as “partners”, are the local, on-the-ground experts who provide critical community details for prospective buyers that includes specific shoreline conditions, neighborhood characteristics, zoning regulations, lake management operations, Lakefront events, and even offer boat tours of properties.

“What differentiates Lakefront Living is our comprehensive database of thousands of lakes analyzed to date along with our one-stop-shop website, LakefrontLiving.com, with the lake buyer in mind. After all, the buyer is essentially buying the lake first and the home second,” explained Scott “The Lake Guy” Freerksen, co-founder and CEO.

Lakefront Living has an extensive database of details for 2,809 lakes. In addition to its recent expansion into North Carolina, the company has established franchise territories in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, Rhode Island and Tennessee.

Freerksen continued, “We’ve taken a different approach than other real estate franchises—they deal with market saturation, while we want franchisees to be able to expand their market as much as they’d like. When we enter into a new state, a franchisee’s territory is based on market size, but they have first right of refusal for the rest of the state, meaning a franchisee at Lake Norman has the chance to grow their business throughout North Carolina.”

What Sets Lakefront Living Apart 
Lakefront Living International is the only national franchise with exclusive protected territories. Lakefront Living provides an easy path to move from Agent to Owner in 90 days, and their proprietary marketing strategy generates lakefront specific leads exclusively handed to the franchisee. These are just a few aspects of what sets them apart from other real estate franchises.

Real estate agents interested in learning more about franchise opportunities in North Carolina’s lake regions are encouraged to contact Scott Freerksen, (833) 4MyLake / (833) 469-5253, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. and visit https://www.lakefrontfranchise.com

About Lakefront Living International, LLC:
Founded in 2014, Lakefront Living International, LLC is a national real estate franchise company focused exclusively on the buying and selling of lakefront properties. As the only lake-focused real estate franchise in the United States, the company is dedicated to providing their unique business model to agents who share their passion for the lakefront lifestyle.

Lakefront Living International, LLC’s proven systems use the power of niche marketing and client lifecycle principles to provide a true competitive advantage. One thing that sets the brand apart from other big-box real estate franchises and independent brokers alike is the freedom it grants franchisees in relation to territory size. The company has an ambitious expansion plan and is focused on attracting future partners.

The LakefrontLiving.com brand is a frequent Partner of HGTV Lakefront Bargain Hunt, and has sourced locations for the hit movie Shutter Island, as well as been featured on WCVB-TV (ABC) Channel 5 Boston Chronicle.

Real estate agents may learn more about Lakefront Living International franchise opportunities by visiting www.lakefrontfranchise.com. Buyers and sellers of lakefront and lake community properties may learn more about Lakefront Living by visiting www.lakefrontliving.com

SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, has announced an expansion of its Leicester-based softlines testing facility following relocation to new, larger premises in the city.

The move of its ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory maintains its presence within the Whittle Estate in Whetstone on the outskirts of Leicester. It brings huge advantages to the company which provides an ever-increasing range of testing and certification services to the UK’s textile and fashion industry.

Michelle Harrison, Laboratory Manager at SGS, said: “We are delighted with the opening of our new, accredited lab and pleased to maintain our long association with Leicester, a city with the second-largest concentration of textile and fashion manufacturing businesses in the UK.

“We are seeing greater demand than ever for our testing services and this move enables us to maximize the unique cashmere analysis services offered by SGS in the UK. We have installed more testing equipment, expanding our capability in testing; as well as providing the space to test larger items including furniture.

“Our customers will benefit from reduced turnaround times and easier access to the diversity of services that will help them meet the demands of regulators, distributors, retailers and consumers around the world.”

SGS Softlines & Accessories Testing Services in Leicester

Part of an unrivaled global network of experts and laboratories, SGS’s softlines testing laboratory in Leicester can conduct testing on products including, but not limited to:

• Textiles, including foam for home furnishing, linen and towels
• Clothing
• Bags and accessories
• Raw materials, such as loose fiber and yarn

Our services include:

• Chemical analysis
• Color and durability testing
• Fiber analysis, such as Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute (CCMI) testing
• Flammability
• Performance testing
• Physical testing
• Technical advice & regulatory guidance

Find out more about SGS’s Softlines services

For further information, please contact:

Michelle Harrison

Laboratory Manager

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

About SGS 

We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. Our 96,000 employees operate a network of 2,600 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.