Footwear
QUALITY CONTROL,
TESTING AND AUDITS
Footwear brands and retailers are understandably focused on validating product quality, performance characteristics and durability, while also protecting reputation and brand equity.
This requires the navigation of multiple criteria to remain successful, especially considering market trends towards customisation and smart technologies such as Bluetooth, WiFi and 3D printing. Buyers and sellers of footwear must respond to these challenges, alongside shifts in sourcing patterns and a regulatory and commercial landscape in constant flux.
OUR APPROACH TO FOOTWEAR TESTING, INSPECTION AND AUDIT
Bureau Veritas supports footwear brands with our worldwide network of fully equipped laboratories and field service offices, which allows increasingly complex products to move to more markets, more quickly. We have many years of experience in assessing shoes for women, men and children, including products made using real leather, synthetic leather and plastics, among other materials.
Our knowledgeable footwear professionals are represented in national and international standard committees and can develop appropriate testing concepts based on each client’s specific needs – which may include educating production teams and supply chains; undertaking a comprehensive testing service; and advising on improvement opportunities to meet corporate and market entry needs of speed, quality and cost.
We’re ideally positioned to assist retailers, brands, manufacturers and importers in the challenging footwear industry to improve speed to market and reduce the total cost of achieving high quality, while also complying with safety and performance – and, in some instances, conformance (wireless) criteria.
OUR SPECIALIST SOLUTIONS
Performance testing
• Abrasion (heel lining, outsole)
• Colourfastness (leather material, textiles)
• Fitting test with models
• Flex resistance (outsole, upper material)
• Labelling
• Measurement of inner length of shoes
• Resistance (metal parts corrosion, slip, water)
• Strength (attachment, accessory pull-out, seam, material tear)
• Workmanship
Chemical testing
• Regulatory Requirements such as REACH and CPSIA
• Client’s Product and Manufacturing RSL
• Key tests for azo-dyes, cadmium, chlorinated paraffins, chromium VI, dimethylfumarate, dimethylformamide, nickel release, organotins and pentachlorophenol
China-specific capabilities
• Athletic shoes (GB/T 15107-2013)
• Casual shoes (QB/T 2955-2008)
• Children's footwear
• Safety Technical Specifications for Children's Footwear (GB 30585-2014)
• Children's Leather Shoes (QB/T 2880-2007)
• Children's Athletic Shoes (QB/T 4331-2012)
• Footwear with shanks (GB 28011-2011 Shanks for Footwear)
• Leather shoes (QB/T 1002-2005 Leather Shoes)
Field services
• During Production Inspections (DUPRO)
• Pre-Shipment Inspections (Final Random Inspection)
• Technical Audits (Quality, Capability & Capacity)
• Social Audits
• Environmental Audits
• Security Audits
Bureau Veritas is a recognised leader in consumer products testing, inspection and audits, with labs, offices and specialists in every selling and sourcing region.
Global footprint
In the world of footwear, never has there been a stronger need for a testing, inspection and certification partner that not only has broad capabilities, but also a global footprint.
SERVICE SPOTLIGHT
