Distributor-Finder_2019_2020_EN

Safety and quality
of promotional products
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Every end user knows the situation: You order a product on the Internet. It is
delivered in a box that is much too large, hidden under a mass of filling and
stuffing materials made of plastic, polystyrene and cardboard. Isn’t there a
smarter solution? Yes, there is! Amazon has developed a programme that
simplifies the handling of packaging, makes it safer and also avoids waste.
Amazon programme
“Frustration-Free
Packaging”
P
ackaging has a significant share of waste.
Therefore, the responsibility for disposal
and recovery is regulated by law. However,
product responsibility starts with the
development. Designing the most meaningful
packaging for each product is a huge challenge. This
raises the following questions:
FFP
Optimized
for customer
experience &
sustainability
SIOC
Waste reduction
PFP
Prep removal
Not certified
> Which packaging size is right for my product?
> Is it sufficiently protected against transport damage?
> What should be considered in the case of fragile products?
> Does the packaging meet the chemical requirements?
> What about handling? Can the packaging be easily opened
by the customer without a lot of effort?
Three certification levels
The Internet giant Amazon has launched the programme
“Frustration-Free Packaging” which includes
a number of key criteria, testing methods
and a certification process. With its help,
the basic ideas can be transferred to millions
of products. The goal is to classify
every Amazon product in one of the three
certification levels of the “Frustration-Free
Packaging” programme:
As of 1 October 2019, all items (larger
than 45.5 x 34.0 x 26.5 cm or heavier
than 12.3 kg) sold on Amazon must be
designed and certified as ready for
shipment within the “Frustration-Free
Packaging” programme
(Tier 1 - FFP, Frustration-Free
Packaging, or Tier 2 - SIOC, shipping
in original packaging).
> Level 1 - Frustration-Free Packaging (FFP)
> Stage 2 - Shipping in original packaging
> Stage 3 – Preparation-Free Packaging (PFP)
Certified packaging must protect the product from damage
throughout the supply chain to the customer’s front
door without the need for additional packaging or preparation
by Amazon. Consequently, Amazon ensures less
packaging waste and less impact on the environment. The
packaging must be easy to open. It must not cause any
“unpacking frustration” that customers often experience.
Of course, all packaging components must be recyclable.
Intertek has made these criteria a binding basis to best assist
suppliers in complying with Amazon’s “Frustration-Free
Packaging” programme.
Intertek supports suppliers
Intertek is listed in the “Amazon Packaging Support and
Supplier Network (APASS)”. In the area of Assurance, Testing,
Inspection & Certification, Intertek is a leading provider
of quality assurance solutions around the world. With
the International Safe Transit Association (ISTA) testing
programme, this independent testing and certifying company
can help make product packaging even safer. It is
certainly helpful that Intertek is both ISTA certified for
packaging testing and also accredited according to the numerous
requirements of the “Transit Tested” certification
programme for the aforementioned packaging test services.
This allows member organisations to label their packaging
and receive non-member reviews for compliance.
Intertek provides global business support and supply chain
support through a network of more than 1,000 laboratories
and offices, and more than 43,000 employees in over
100 countries. <
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Nicole Kemmler
nicole.kemmler@intertek.com