Market Overview: Product Compliance

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Executive Summary

Despite an aggressive international regulatory agenda focused on whether products (and samples) comply with safety and environmental requirements, there is a lack of consensus about what product stewardship involves. Even the term ‘product stewardship’ is under question as it may obscure more than it clarifies for non-experts. This Verdantix report provides a strategic overview of the current state of the product compliance market landscape. Verdantix research and analysis has identified three archetypes that can help firms determine the appropriate product compliance governance structure, operational needs and information management systems. While each archetype is distinct and does not overlap, large firms and conglomerates may find that more than one archetype is applicable to them if their different business units are active across the value chain. Technology vendors can use this archetype framework to clarify how their solution maps to the unique challenges, risks and concerns faced by firms or divisions in each of the three archetypes.

Table of contents

Market Overview: Product Compliance
Product Stewardship And Chemical Compliance Terminology Confuses Most Market Participants
Solving The Product Compliance Challenge Requires A Focus On Chemical Compliance

Product Compliance Is A Messy And Complex Issue To Manage
Firms Struggle To Keep Track Of Overlapping Product And Chemical Compliance Regulations
Regulations Apply In Multiple Ways Depending On A Firm’s Operations And Production Processes
Variations In Product Compliance Regulatory Applicability Result In Diverse Organizational Models
IT Strategies Look More Like A Frayed Amish Quilt Than A Coherent Management System

Three Archetypes Clarify The Appropriate Product Compliance Strategy
Undertake The Product Compliance Self-Assessment To Establish Your Archetype
Product Guardians Have The Most Complex Chemical Compliance Risks To Control
Operations Defenders Lean Heavily On The EHS Function To Manage Risks
Traceability Champions Co-Ordinate Functions From Sourcing To Product Design

Technology Vendors Need To Clarify How Their Solutions Map To The Three Archetypes
Develop Technology Roadmaps That Comprehensively Deliver For The Three Archetypes

Table of figures

Figure 1. Understanding Of Product Stewardship Varies Widely
Figure 2. Defining Product Compliance
Figure 3. Product Compliance Communication Flow 
Figure 4. Product Compliance Vendor Backgrounds Are Diverse
Figure 5. Product Compliance Archetype Self-Assessment Framework 
Figure 6. Product Compliance Archetype: Governance, Data And Regulatory Characteristics
Figure 7. Information Management Landscape For Product Stewardship

About the author

Yaowen Ma

Principal Analyst

Yaowen is a Principal Analyst at Verdantix conducting research on EHS and ESG information management. His current agenda focuses on digital technologies, best practices and growth strategies across EHS, product stewardship, sustainability performance and ESG risk management. Yaowen has more than seven years of experience managing and delivering EHS and ESG research and consulting engagements to corporates, vendors, investors and industry associations. He holds a dual major bachelor’s degree in environmental management and international relations from the University of Pennsylvania.

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