SGS, a leading testing, inspection and certification company, has gained GS mark lab approval from the German Central Authority of the Federal States for Safety for juvenile product testing at its state-of-the-art facilities in Aix en Provence, France.

The award extends the scope of SGS’s global toy and juvenile product testing services to include the GS, or Geprüfte Sicherheit (tested safety), mark. This voluntary certification scheme demonstrates that products displaying the GS mark have been subjected to rigorous evaluation and certification to comply with all statutory requirements of the German Product Safety Act.

Products covered by the GS mark include baby strollers, cots and folding cots, cribs and cradles, highchairs, baby carriers and furniture for babies and children. Tests cover product characteristics including physical and mechanical safety, and also chemical and hazardous material use. Plus, evaluations of manufacturers’ factory production.

Commenting is Catherine Follin-Arbelet, Global Product Line Manager for Juvenile Products at SGS.

“We are delighted to have gained approval as a certification body for GS mark certification, one of the best-known and most important test marks for goods and consumer products. This is great news for our clients to whom we can now offer a complete solution for juvenile products intended for the German market.”

The rigorous testing demanded of GS mark certification ensures products not only meet the requirements of the German Product Safety Act and, if applicable, relevant European safety standards, but also exceed the legal requirements for safety. As such, it is widely recognized and trusted by consumers.

SGS has a global network of state-of-the-art testing laboratories to assist brands and manufacturers in the development of safe toys. The new approval enables SGS to deliver the GS mark based on tests carried out in both Aix en Provence and Shanghai under the approval of SGS’s German certification body, SGS Institut Fresenius.