What is product compliance?
Product compliance refers to the need for consumer products to adhere to all applicable laws, regulations, standards, and restrictions imposed by government authorities in the markets where those products are manufactured, distributed, and sold.
It encompasses meeting extensive labeling and information disclosure requirements, attaining necessary safety testing and certifications, and avoiding prohibited materials or processes.
Product compliance spans regulations for safety, quality, environmental impact, labor practices, and more. Essentially, product compliance entails strict conformity to the myriad regulatory requirements and restrictions impacting global commerce.
Adhering to product regulatory compliance demands requires significant effort and various due diligence measures from consumer product companies across all operations, from design to retail, as regulations continuously evolve worldwide. Robust compliance is mandatory for market access and avoiding costly penalties.
What are digital links, and how can they help with product regulatory compliance?
Digital links are a new type of barcode introduced by GS1 that combines product identifiers with the power of the Internet. GS1 digital links connect to online product information when scanned by a smartphone or other device, like a cashier scanner at a point of sale. They empower brands to furnish supplementary compliance data digitally without overcrowding packaging.
Digital links allow consumers, regulators, retailers, and other supply chain partners worldwide to easily access product compliance data on-demand by scanning a product’s digital link QR code. The links point to specified web URLs where companies can host expansive product compliance information to share openly with regulators and customers. Discover here some examples and use cases!
Whether meeting food labeling requirements, providing sustainability certifications, listing ingredients and allergens, or linking to other regulatory approvals, digital links will enable companies and brands to deliver this extra compliance data through online channels.
Key regulatory drivers for product compliance
Product manufacturers face proliferating regulatory demands worldwide as new product compliance regulations are introduced by market surveillance authorities. This necessitates that consumer product goods companies provide amplified transparency and accessible compliance data.
Expanding EU product compliance regulations
The European Union recently enacted broadened product compliance regulations, including a mandatory listing of ingredients and nutrition information for wine, along with required recycling instructions on product packaging.
For instance, all wine producers selling in the EU must now label ingredients like added sulfites along with full nutrition facts – a significant change from the previous policy. These additions help consumers with allergies make informed choices but prove challenging for brands to squeeze on the packaging.
The European Digital Product Passport initiative also seeks to centralize product compliance data online in a digital format. This escalates pressures on consumer brands to provide EU regulators and supply chain partners with expanded digital access to comprehensive product compliance information.
Evolving U.S. FDA food labeling rules
In the United States, the FDA imposes strict regulatory product compliance requirements for nutritional and ingredient labeling on food products. These extensive FDA regulations obligate brands to list complete product data on packaging to satisfy compliance requirements.
For example, the FDA now requires that added sugars be quantified separately from total sugars per serving. Brands must also highlight major allergens like dairy in bold formatting. With limited label space, these amplified labeling rules pressure brands to find solutions for sharing mandatory compliance data.
Digital links offer a platform for sharing supplementary product details online to fulfill expanding FDA labeling regulations while maintaining packaging clarity.
Rising global regulatory compliance pressures
Beyond the EU and the U.S., global product compliance pressures continue escalating rapidly. Other Countries, including China, Brazil, India, and many more, have activated their own local product data regulations.
For instance, Brazil now requires warning labels on foods with high sugar, salt, and fat content to discourage unhealthy eating. China also enacted new laws requiring brands to provide detailed chemical composition data.
This multifaceted patchwork of requirements creates tremendous challenges for brands selling products worldwide to achieve full regulatory compliance on packaging alone. But digital links provide an efficient mechanism for consumer product companies to satisfy diverse regulatory compliance needs globally through online data sharing.
Benefits of digital links for product compliance
Implementing digital links offers numerous invaluable benefits for consumer product brands seeking to demonstrate regulatory compliance across global markets.
First and foremost, digital links provide a method to share mandatory product compliance data without cluttering or overwhelming packaging with dense regulatory text. This helps preserve appealing, consumer-friendly packaging designs instead of lengthy fine-print lists.
For example, a cereal brand could link to a separate webpage that lists any allergens, detailed ingredient profiles, and nutritional information per serving. This keeps packages free of multiple paragraphs of text while still providing access to important compliance data.
Additionally, digital links provide on-demand access to granular product regulatory compliance information for regulators and supply chain partners. Brands can grant authorities immediate access to in-depth compliance data through digital channels by simply sharing a link through a single QR.
Furthermore, digital links empower companies to rapidly adhere to new labeling rules and requirements as regulations change frequently. Brands can simply update the linked webpages instantly rather than redesigning packaging artwork each time.
If a government enacts a new requirement to list certain materials or chemical components, a manufacturer can add this info to the webpage connected to the digital link QR code right away to comply. This agility prevents regulatory non compliance events.
Digital links also mitigate risks related to product recalls and quality issues by increasing supply chain transparency. Brands can use links to swiftly notify retailers and consumers of problems to accelerate response times.
A food company could instantly update a link if an ingredient is recalled or a contamination issue emerges. Rapid digital notifications limit revenue losses and brand reputation damage.
Overall, digital links simplify product compliance processes, build consumer trust, and avert noncompliance issues by openly sharing product data online.
Use cases for compliance with relevant regulations
Many use cases exist for brands leveraging digital links to broadcast important product compliance information to regulators, retailers, and consumers:
Sharing ingredients and allergen data
Brands can employ digital links to publish complete lists of product ingredients along with allergen warnings to safeguard consumers.
For example, a chocolate bar could link to a list indicating it contains milk and soy for allergy protection.
Linking sustainability and ethics certifications
Brands can direct consumers to sustainability or ethical sourcing certifications via digital links to meet ecological demands.
An apparel maker could link to fair trade partner details or certify they use less harmful dyes.
Supply chain transparency
Sharing supply chain maps, audits, and product provenance data through digital links augments consumer trust.
A seafood company may link to catch records and processing facility audits, for instance.
Regulatory approvals
Manufacturers of medical devices can link to clinical trial outcomes and regulatory approval documents from health authorities to prove compliance.
Pharmaceutical brands could provide links to major study results and FDA approvals.
Product recall notifications
If a recall develops, brands can instantly update digital links to notify consumers and retailers for accelerated safety.
For example, an appliance maker could update a link with repair instructions if a defect emerges.
Expiration and disposal details
Instructions for verifying food expiration dates and proper disposal can be linked to help consumers reduce waste.
A milk brand could share fridge life guidance and recycling particulars through a digital link.
Recommendations for deploying digital links for regulatory requirements
When preparing to implement digital links, brands should follow some best practices to ensure compliance and optimize success.
First, dedicate time to identify high-value product compliance data to link based on target markets and categories. This ensures the links provide access to the most crucial compliance information needed to avoid penalties.
Next, thoroughly educate internal compliance teams company-wide on the benefits and use cases of digital links for compliance. Get all departments, including marketing, product development, regulatory affairs, and IT familiar with how to leverage links for regulatory needs. Cross-functional training enables smooth execution across groups.
Additionally, proactively comply with upcoming regulations and frequently refresh links to keep data current. Constantly monitor regulatory horizons and stay ahead of changing rules to avoid non compliance events. Links should be updated routinely to account for the evolving worldwide regulatory landscape.
Furthermore, prominently promote the digital links to consumers through marketing campaigns and packaging to drive engagement. Educate consumers on checking links for valuable compliance data through compelling branding and messaging. Increased visibility and education will improve link clickthroughs.
Finally, guarantee any linked compliance data complies fully with geographic privacy laws and security protocols. Keeping data usage protected and compliant is imperative, especially when dealing with compliance documentation with regulatory bodies.
In summary, the proper management of digital link deployment requires cross-functional coordination, promotion, and continuous performance optimization to maximize compliance benefits.
Conclusion
As product compliance regulations proliferate globally, digital links enable consumer product brands to seamlessly share mandatory compliance data through online channels. This prevents packaging from becoming dense unreadable regulatory checklists.
For consumers, digital links provide quick access to valuable product information on ingredients, certifications, recalls, and more. Regulators also obtain necessary compliance particulars swiftly by leveraging digital links.
With the power to instantaneously update linked data, brands can nimbly adapt as new product compliance regulations emerge worldwide.
Overall, digital links furnish global consumer product manufacturers with the capability to transparently demonstrate regulatory compliance while optimizing the product development process and packaging.
We at digital-link.com are committed to helping brands meet regulatory requirements more easily, mitigate risks, and reduce costs by effectively implementing digital link QR codes.
By simply entering a GTIN number, our platform creates a verified digital link, a dynamic QR code that carries the link, and a Smart page that is automatically populated with product info. This alone already simplifies compliance with most regulatory requirements.
The best thing is that you can easily create a richer landing page for your products with our intuitive page building tool, adding as much content as you need to fulfill the most diverse product compliance requirements.
Do not hesitate to get in touch with our experts at info@digital-link.com or via live chat. We will be happy to help you shape the perfect solution for your product compliance needs.
