Air Purifying Devices: Accessing China’s Newly Regulated Market

Consumers are concerned with both outdoor air quality and, increasingly, indoor air quality. Expenditure on air purifiers has grown exponentially in recent years, encouraging a large number of new producers to join well-established, imported brands on the market. To regulate this market and protect consumers, China enacted a national standard for air purifiers in 2016 - GB/T 18801-2015. Achieving compliance with this standard is now mandatory for suppliers of air purifying devices.

Bringing Clarity to the Market

Unlike many other large economies, China's air purifier market is relatively young and is still developing. Environmental factors, however, mean there has been impressive growth in this market. Prior to the adoption of GB/T 18801-2015 in 2016, the proliferation of air purifier brands, each with a different physical property or performance levels, meant it could be confusing for consumers looking to buy in the right product for their needs.

The implementation of the new national standard has increased competition within the sector, as manufacturers feel the regulatory pressure of offering safe and conformant products to consumers. China's Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQISIQ) found during surveillance in 2016 and 2017 that 20% of air purifiers still failed compliance tests for safety, electromagnetic compatibility and performance. Pressures to produce products that are safe have therefore incentivized companies to improve technical performance in the hope of gaining competitive advantage over the rest of the market.

Achieving Regulatory Compliance

Conformity with the national standard requires the air purifier to undergo several safety and performance tests. These can be performed in-house or at a third-party testing laboratory.

There are many advantages associated with independent testing, not least the access it affords the manufacturer to qualified international experts and the latest testing equipment. Third party testing can provide comprehensive assessment of a product at every stage of the production process, from design and development through to performance verification. By utilizing the expertise of a third-party testing service, the manufacturer can expedite regulatory compliance and decrease a product's time-to-market.

SGS Solutions: Air Purifier Services

With specialized facilities throughout China, we have the localized expertise and testing laboratories required to support all air purifier production processes. We offer several levels of testing services for air purifiers:

• Standard Testing Service: covers all core indicators and technical indexes relevant to GB/T 18801-2015 compliance, such as clean air delivery rate (CADR), cumulate clean mass (CCM), purification efficiency, bacteria removal rate, etc.
• Customized Testing Service: a bespoke service developed with the manufacturer, meeting clearly defined needs and purposes at every step of the production process. Testing results are used for comprehensive technical support, allowing product improvements
• Expert Training Service: SGS experts provide solutions to all problems encountered during the design, development, production and testing phases of the product development process

In addition to services for air purifiers, we also offer a wide range of safety and EMC testing solutions covering all household devices. These include:

• Safety testing for household devices IEC/EN 60335 series
• EMF EN 62233
• ERP directive
• Standby or off mode, power management, network
  • EC No 1275/2008
  • EU No 801/2013

• ERP for external power supplies

For more information on how SGS can help your air purifying products and household appliances achieve compliance with relevant Chinese national standards, please contact:

Miles Xu
Consumer Retailer Service - Electrical and Electronics
t: +86 (0)21 6140 2688
www.sgs.com/ee