In This Article:
E-commerce giant Temu has entered a new partnership with testing, inspection and certification firm Eurofins as part of its efforts to fortify its product safety and compliance.
The PDD Holdings-operated marketplace known for bargain prices is working with Eurofins Assurance for safety and quality inspections and Eurofins Consumer Product Testing for certification tests. This move, which follows multiple reports of safety hazards with Temu merchandise, is part of the e-tailer’s expanded investment in quality assurance announced earlier this year. Through its work with Eurofins, the global e-commerce player says it wants to “support transparency in Temu’s product safety processes.”
More from Sourcing Journal
For Temu, Eurofins Assurance will inspect merchandise including apparel, textiles and jewelry and outdoor furniture, among other categories. These independent audits will assess products’ compliance with safety and quality regulations.
With a business model that relies on third-party sellers, Temu is also working with Eurofins Consumer Product Testing to undertake product certification tests as part of its seller onboarding process. Adult apparel will be tested for the General Certificate of Conformity, a document stating that imported goods comply with U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standards.
Temu says it uses a “stringent onboarding process” for sellers to gauge their adherence to safety and quality. Its quality assurance strategy also includes inspections and human- and technology-powered product screenings.
In January, Temu said it was increasing its product testing with firms like TÜV SÜD, TÜV Rheinland, SGS and Bureau Veritas. “Product safety and compliance are top priorities at Temu,” said a Temu spokesperson. “We work closely with globally recognized testing and certification agencies to ensure that products sold by third-party merchants on our platform meet all applicable standards.”
This product safety push was announced shortly after Temu signed the voluntary Canadian Product Safety Pledge in December, which includes commitments to “[detect] and [prevent] the sale of unsafe products” and “[raise] product safety awareness among sellers.” Temu had previously inked a product safety agreement with South Korea’s government.
Seoul authorities have conducted multiple tests of Temu products that have uncovered safety hazards. Last November, a jacket from Temu was found to have phthalate plasticizers, lead and cadmium levels up to hundreds of times over the legal limit. Temu said it had pulled the jacket as well as a jumpsuit that was also found to have phthalate plasticizers that exceeded the legal limit before the report came out, saying it had caught the issues through “proactive monitoring.”