Lab & Testing

Lab testing refers to the physical and chemical analysis of products, materials, and substances conducted by accredited testing laboratories. These tests generate the quantitative evidence that most compliance frameworks require — substance concentration levels for REACH SVHC screening, chemical composition for RoHS compliance, emissions measurements for carbon footprint reporting, mechanical properties for CE marking, electrical safety results for market access certifications, and material composition for recycled content claims. Lab test reports provide independent, verifiable evidence that regulators and buyers trust.

Many compliance frameworks require third-party verification of product claims. A self-declaration without lab evidence carries significantly less weight with regulators and buyers. For market access certifications like CE marking, UKCA, KC, and CCC, accredited lab test reports are mandatory. For environmental claims like carbon footprint (ISO 14067) or recycled content, lab-verified data is what distinguishes a credible claim from greenwashing. As regulators increase enforcement of green claims directives and product safety rules, the demand for lab-tested compliance evidence continues to grow.

Four main categories cover most compliance needs. Chemical and substance testing covers SVHC screening, RoHS compliance testing, REACH substance verification, Prop 65 analysis, and heavy metal testing. Material composition analysis covers recycled content verification, bio-based material certification, and conflict minerals testing. Emissions and environmental testing covers carbon footprint measurement (ISO 14067), water footprint analysis, and lifecycle assessment data. Physical and safety testing covers electrical safety for CE/UKCA/KC/CCC marks, mechanical durability testing, fire resistance, children's product safety (CPSIA), and food contact material migration testing. Each category produces structured data that Sustalium maps to the relevant compliance frameworks.

Lab test results arrive as certificates, PDF reports, or structured data files. Sustalium accepts any format — upload the report and the system extracts key results, mapping them automatically to every applicable framework. A single SVHC test result, for example, populates REACH declarations, RoHS compliance documents, SCIP database submissions, and customer-specific substance disclosure requests simultaneously. For labs that provide structured data feeds, API integration enables automatic population. All results are stored with the original certificate for audit trail purposes.

Frameworks that require quantitative evidence are the primary users. These include REACH and UK REACH (SVHC concentration testing), RoHS (restricted substance testing for electronics), CE and UKCA marking (product safety testing based on harmonised standards), CPSIA (children's product safety testing), ISO 14067 (product carbon footprint measurement), the EU Battery Regulation (performance and safety testing), Prop 65 (toxic substance exposure testing), FCC Part 15 (electromagnetic emissions testing), national market access marks like KC, CCC, PSE, BIS, and RCM (all require local accredited lab testing), and FSMA 204 (food safety testing and preventive controls validation).

The tests you need depend on your products, target markets, and applicable compliance frameworks. Sustalium's compliance assessment maps your product categories to the relevant frameworks and identifies the specific testing requirements for each. For example, an electronics product sold in the EU needs RoHS substance testing, CE marking safety tests per applicable harmonised standards, and WEEE compliance documentation. The same product sold in South Korea requires KC certification testing by a KOLAS-accredited lab. Sustalium's framework library shows exactly which tests each certification requires, including the specific standards and acceptable lab accreditations.