The 2022 G20 Summit in Bali marked the time of the year again where all the major industrious countries would come together and address the problems we were facing. The expected blame games aside, all these world leaders still have found a way for a consensus — that the global temperature rise has to be limited to 1.5℃ by the end of the century.
China was a participant and has joined this pact as well. But even as China has advanced in manufacturing over the years, with increasingly strict environmental regulations and policies in place, holding more manufacturers accountable for environmentally responsible production, “Made in China” is still insufficiently associated with being eco-friendly. To your surprise, green manufacturing is not a novel concept here. If you are looking to source from China but have concerns over this issue, here’s what you can do.
Know Your Choices
Where to find your potential manufacturers especially when you need to research their production, R&D, and design? A B2B platform will help. Alibaba is no stranger to suppliers around the world, even those uninterested in sourcing from China. As a country with over 1 billion people, options never run out. Made-In-China.com, Global Source, ECVV…all these platforms come with versions based on different countries and languages. All you need to do is just type “eco-friendly” in a search box and click. The rest is a whole list of your candidates.
Check for Credentials
It is always a relief to have proper documentation to back up your choice. In this case, don’t hesitate to ask for proof of eco-friendly production. For example, ISO 9001, BSCI(Business Social Compliance Initiative), or The Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) are all international audit systems qualified to verify ethical and responsible manufacturing. When you’re on the aforementioned B2B portals, check the box of the above qualifications. Most manufacturers are no doubt very forefront if qualified. You can contact these manufacturers for an audit report or even reach out to these audit organizations to authenticate their credentials or validity. But keep in mind only a small fraction of manufacturers in China have successfully passed a BSCI or SMETA audit. Failure to secure these documentations can cost you access to certain consumers markets.[i]
Find A Reliable Agency
Language barriers, cultural differences, and ignorance of local policies are most likely to get in the way when you try to tap into this country with such a sizable population and history of hundreds of centuries. On that account, you might need an agency with years of expertise in dealing with China, especially one that bases their actual operation and management there with a mix of local and western team members who can speak both languages and bridge the gap. In light of the current geopolitics, those founded or registered overseas and headed by someone with a western background can be a safer bet. Some of the agencies that fit into these criteria even have their own manufacturing services.
Time to drop a name. C2W provides one-stop services of all-in supply solutions and expert teams with both local and western experience. It even comes with its own manufacturing and assembly factory, Shield Works, who prides itself on new technology and internationally recognized quality standards.
If you are interested in knowing more about C2W or communicating for future cooperation, please contact us.
Sources
CE Marking When Importing From China: A Complete Guide
