SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, publishes summary of a proposed rule by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate the use of the solvent trichloroethylene (TCE).

The proposal was issued in the Federal Register on October 31, 2023. If accepted it will restrict TCE under section 6 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), using a one-year staggered timeline to prohibit its manufacture, import, processing and distribution. Longer phase-out periods will be granted by the EPA for certain uses.

This move follows similar proposals made in 2023 to regulate perchloroethylene (Perc) and methylene chloride.

SGS publishes SafeGuardS to keep businesses informed about regulatory and market changes. SafeGuardS 154.23 includes examples of potential longer phase-out periods and details additional requirements. It also contains information on some of the uses of TCE and the reason why the EPA is seeking to ban it.

Stakeholders should review SGS’s original SafeGuardS 154.23 to learn more.

The EPA will accept comments until December 15, 2023.

SGS Chemical Testing
SGS offers a comprehensive range of testing services to help manufacturers and suppliers ensure their products are safe and comply with national and international regulations concerning harmful chemicals. In the end, it’s only trusted because it’s tested. Learn more about SGS Chemical Testing Services.

SGS SafeGuardS keep you up to date with the latest news and developments in the consumer goods industry. Read the full EPA Proposes Ban on Trichloroethylene SafeGuardS.

Subscribe here to receive SGS SafeGuardS direct to your inbox.

For further information contact:

Melanie Tamayo
Senior Technical Manager, SGS NA.
Tel: + 1 312 414 9394

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/cp
LinkedIn: SGS Connectivity & Products

About SGS
We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for sustainability, quality and integrity. Our 98,000 employees operate a network of 2,650 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.

SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, has published SafeGuardS 144.23 to keep stakeholders informed about ASTM International’s revised consumer safety specification standard for toy safety.

ASTM F963-23 was issued in October 2023, following a revision by the ASTM Toy Safety Subcommittee (F15.22), and received approval on August 1, 2023. It has been revised to align with Federal and Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) requirements on phthalates, toy substrate material exemptions and tracking labels and includes changes to the requirements for:
- Sound-producing toys
- Battery accessibility
- Expanding materials
- Projectiles

SGS has published SafeGuardS 144.23 to give stakeholders a summary of the new standard and its process for acceptance by the CPSC as a consumer product safety standard issued under section 9 of the Consumer Product Safety Act.  

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 ASTM Publishes ASTM F963-23 (Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety) SafeGuardS.

Subscribe here to receive SGS SafeGuardS direct to your inbox.

For further information contact:

Piyush Shah
Technical Director (Hardlines)
Tel: +1 (973) 461-7953
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.sgs.com/hardlines
LinkedIn: SGS Connectivity & Products

About SGS
We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for sustainability, quality and integrity. Our 98,000 employees operate a network of 2,650 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.

SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, has published SafeGuardS 145.23 to give stakeholders an overview of China’s new national product standard for water resistant outdoor sportswear.

GB/T 32614-2023 Outdoor sportswear – Water resistant garments was issued by the Standardization Administration of China and included in China’s No. 9 announcement on approved national standards in 2023. It replaces the 2016 iteration of the standard and will come into effect on April 1, 2024.

The standard applies to water resistant outdoor garments that are primarily made from textiles. It does not apply to water resistant clothing intended for infants aged less than 36 months.

SGS has published SafeGuardS 145.23 to give stakeholders a summary of the main physical and chemical contents of the standard, as well as details of the additions, revisions and deletions in the latest version.

Stakeholders are advised to review SGSs original SafeGuardS 145.23 for more information.

SGS Softlines Services
SGS has a worldwide network of over 40 state-of-the-art laboratories, including 10 in China, specializing in testing of apparel, footwear, and home textiles. Their committed team is drawn from multi-disciplinary backgrounds, allowing them to conduct a comprehensive range of physical, chemical, and functional testing services for components, materials and finished products. SGS helps companies ensure quality, performance, and compliance with international, industrial, and regulatory standards worldwide. In the end, it’s only trusted because it’s tested. Learn more about SGS’s Softlines Services.

SGS SafeGuardS keep you up to date with the latest news and developments in the consumer goods industry. Read the full China Releases Updated Product Standard GB/T 32614-2023 Outdoor sportswear – Water resistant garments SafeGuardS.

Subscribe here to receive SGS SafeGuardS direct to your inbox.

For further information contact:

Dr. Min Zhu
US & Canada Softlines Business Head – Softlines
Tel: +19734611230
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.sgs.com/softlines
LinkedIn: SGS Connectivity & Products

About SGS
We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for sustainability, quality and integrity. Our 98,000 employees operate a network of 2,650 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.

SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, has published SafeGuardS 143.2 to provide stakeholders with an overview of the latest changes affecting the classification, labeling and packaging (CLP) list for substances and mixtures.

The second edition of the Great Britain (GB) mandatory classification and labeling list (GB MCL list) has been issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Post-Brexit, it only applies to manufacturers, importers, downstream users and distributors operating in GB – Wales, Scotland and England.

Among the changes:
- Editorial changes
- 98 substances included in the first GB CLP Agency recommendation added or revised in the GB MCL, including:
1. Boric acid and several boron-containing compounds
2. Bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS)
3. Two dibutyltin compounds

Stakeholders should be aware the revised entries came into force on October 20, 2023. They will become effective on April 20, 2025.

SGS Consumer Product Services
SGS provides news about the development of regulations affecting consumer products as a complimentary service. With an unrivalled global network of laboratories, they offer physical/mechanical testing, analytical testing and consultancy work for technical and non-technical parameters applicable to a comprehensive range of consumer products. In the end, it’s only trusted because it’s tested. Learn more about SGS’s Consumer Product Services.

SGS SafeGuardS keep you up to date with the latest news and developments in the consumer goods industry. Read the full UK Revises GB Mandatory Classification and Labelling List 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/cp
LinkedIn: SGS Connectivity & Products

About SGS
We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for sustainability, quality and integrity. Our 98,000 employees operate a network of 2,650 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.

SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, has published SafeGuardS 147.23 to keep stakeholders up to date with proposals to ban per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in specific food packaging in Maine, USA.

In October 2023, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) started a 38-day consultation over the latest version of its proposal to revise Chapter 80 ‘Reduction of Toxics in Packaging’.

SGS has published SafeGuardS 147.23 to provide a short summary of the latest proposal, which includes details of an exemption and the revised plan to ban nine types of food packaging made from plant fibers that contain intentionally added PFAS.

Stakeholders are advised to review SGS’s original SafeGuardS 147.23 for more information.  

The DEP is accepting comments until November 30, 2023

SGS Chemical Testing
SGS offers a comprehensive range of testing services to help manufacturers and suppliers ensure their products are safe and comply with national and international regulations concerning harmful chemicals. In the end, it’s only trusted because it’s tested. Learn more about SGS Chemical Testing Services.

SGS SafeGuardS keep you up to date with the latest news and developments in the consumer goods industry. Read the full Maine, USA, Consults Over Revised Proposal to Ban PFAS in Specific Food Packaging 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

Melanie Tamayo
Senior Technical Manager, SGS NA.
Tel: + 1 312 414 9394

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.sgs.com/hardlines
LinkedIn: SGS Connectivity & Products

About SGS
We are SGS – the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for sustainability, quality and integrity. Our 98,000 employees operate a network of 2,650 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.