WERCSmart is a company and a system that was later acquired by UL. It primarily evaluates product safety performance: chemical safety, transportation safety, usage safety, etc. In collaboration with some major retailers in the United States, hazardous products (not limited to batteries or battery-containing products; liquids, aerosols, etc., also require registration) must be registered to be sold in these stores. In other words, products that require an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) also need this registration.
1. What is WERCS?
WERCSmart is a product registration system for products entering large supermarkets and retailers in countries like the United States and Canada. UL's Wercs is essentially a database company. Major retailers such as Walmart and Tesco are already collaborating with it, requiring upstream suppliers to input their product information into the system for evaluation, enabling downstream parties to promptly access hazard information. UL Wercs has confirmed partnerships with retailers including Walmart, Sears, and Costco, mandating that all their suppliers register their products on WERCSmart.
2. Why Register for WERCS?
To better understand the components of products in consumers' hands, retailers use the CARP (Chemical Assessment Review Process) to collect detailed chemical information. This allows retailers to access specific SDS (Safety Data Sheets) and other information, which can be promptly provided to relevant agencies and consumers. Additionally, it helps effectively protect the environment in compliance with federal, state, and local laws.
3. Which Products Need WERCS Registration?
Products containing certain chemicals and sold by retailers using the WERCSmart system; generally, clothing and food do not require registration, except for food in special container devices (such as sprayers or vacuum tubes); retailers require suppliers to register; currently, the most common products requiring registration are batteries/cells and battery-containing products (e.g., electric toys, power banks, Bluetooth speakers, etc.). Simply put, if a battery-containing product is to be sold in large U.S. retailers, both the finished product manufacturer and the battery or cell manufacturer must register with WERCS.