WERCS stands for Worldwide Environmental Regulatory Compliance Solutions and is a division of Underwriters Laboratories (UL). Retailers who sell, transport, store or dispose of your products face challenges in complying with increasingly complex federal, state and local regulations with their steep fines for noncompliance. Safety Data Sheets (SDS) simply don’t contain enough information.
JUST WHAT DOES WERCS DO?
WERCS bridges the gap between manufacturers, regulators and retailers. It collects the information you submit, tracks and matches it to various regulatory needs and other critical parameters. Then it creates and electronically transmits a wide variety of data sheets to retailers. Typically, there’s a 2-business-day turnaround once WERCS has everything it needs from you.
Unfortunately, only the manufacturer can provide the data needed for WERCS. BTF can only act as an advisor through the process.
Many products require WERCS certification. If your product contains any of the items below, it will require WERCS due to its chemical makeup:
Does the item contain mercury (ex. fluorescent light bulb, HVAC, switch, thermostat)?
Is the item a chemical/solvent or contain a chemical/solvent?
Is the item a pesticide or contain a pesticide, herbicide or fungicide?
Is the item an aerosol or contain an aerosol?
Is the item or does the item contain a battery (lithium, alkaline, lead-acid, etc.)?
Is the item or does the item contain compressed gas?
Is the item a liquid or contain a liquid (this does not include appliances or heaters that contain totally enclosed liquids)?
Does this product contain electronic equipment (circuit board, computer chip, copper wiring or other electronic components)?
If OSHA under 29 CFR 1910.1200(c) defines your product, then it may not need to be WERCS certified. But ultimately, that decision rests with each retailer, as each has different requirements. For example, walmart.com does not require copper registration but homedepot.com does.
KINDS OF WERCS REPORTS
WERCS reports that are generated for retailers may include:
Disposal Data—Disposal coding
Waste Data—RCRA codes/State/Municipality
Return Guidance—Shipping restrictions, Where to return
Storage Data—Uniform fire code/NFPA
Environmental Data—EPA/TSCA/SARA/VOC %/weight
Regulatory Data—CalProp 65 Carcinogenic, Mutagenic, Reproductive, Endocrine disruptor
Product Restrictions—EPA, VOC, Prohibited uses, State-banned substances
Transportation Data—Air, water, rail, road, international
Restriction Information—EPA, retailer specific (chemicals of concern), prohibited uses, international classification, EU – CLP, Canada WHMI, VOC
Complete, Globally Compliant (M)SDS—database to house the (M)SDSs online search for (M)SDS viewing/exporting
One-Page Safety Summary
Sustainability Data
Over 35 retailers, such as Walmart and The Home Depot, demand WERCS certifications before they will sell your products. Many other major retailers like Bed, Bath and Beyond, Costco, CVS, Lowes, Office Depot, Staples, and Target are following suit. Like California Prop 65 determination and labeling, WERCS certification is inevitable. It is part of the cost of doing business.
WERCS certification is fee-based. The portal can be found here: https://www.ulwercsmart.com. The step-by-step registration process is easy for vendors to follow.
WERCSMART registration
WHY DOES A RETAIL COMPANY REQUIRE WERCS?
Retailers are being held accountable for the products they sell. And they are fined if something isn’t right. If a retailer determines your products have been deemed “potentially hazardous,” they filter into either a Vendor Hazmat or Data Quality Hazmat workflow. Here’s the perspective from The Home Depot:
“WERCS provides The Home Depot with classification data for: transportation, maritime, waste, fire, and storage of the reviewed products. This review provides us with consistent Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) and accurate safety information at store level for our customers and associates. It also allows our company to improve our environmental sustainability efforts and help to ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.”
If a retailer deems your product needs WERCS certification to be sold, you’ll need to go through the processes outlined. However, if your product is already WERCS certified then congratulations—you’re one step closer to your goal!
IF YOUR ITEM IS ALREADY WERCS CERTIFIED, PLEASE FOLLOW THESE STEPS:
Log into your WERCSmart account.
From the Home Page, select BULK ACTIONS.
Select Forward Product Registration.
Select the retailer from the list.
Locate the Product (use the Product Name or ID from WERCSmart).
Select the existing UPCs (Uniform Product Codes) to provide to the new retailer, or you may add more UPCs.
Finalize the process.
Submit order!
IF YOUR PRODUCTS ARE BEING SUBMITTED TO HOMEDEPOT.COM:
The OMSID and UPC MUST be entered into WERCSmart.
The OMSID and UPC that is entered into WERCSmart MUST match IDM. Otherwise, your items will be delayed.
After your items have been submitted from WERCSmart, they should be removed from the IDM Hazmat workflow, such as Data Quality, within 24 to 48 hours.
IMPORTANT NOTE 1: Fees will apply for new items that have a UPC that has not been registered with WERCSmart.
IMPORTANT NOTE 2: If the UPC has already been registered with WERCSmart, you will not have to pay another fee; HOWEVER, you MUST register the product with WERCSmart, using the unique OMSID associated UPC. After the duplicate UPC and unique OMSID have been successfully registered in WERCSmart, submit a ticket in IDM and provide the OMSID & UPC so that our internal team can clear the item from the Hazmat workflow.
IF YOUR PRODUCTS ARE BEING SUBMITTED TO WALMART.COM:
The BTF Walmart team sends BTF’s Director of Regional Sales for Walmart the items that require WERCS, based on WERCS flags in the walmart.com setup sheet.
The director then reaches out to the vendor to have WERCS completed.
The vendor then processes a WERCS registration in the WERCSmart portal by UPC by accessing the link in the walmart.com email template detailed below.
WERCS will send back a UPC code report with a WPS ID by UPC once the item clears WERCS.
The WPS ID is automatically sent to walmart.com by UPC for release from WERCS hold via EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) once the submission has been processed. In cases where the auto release does not happen, BTF will send the WPS ID to walmart.com—but this is rare.
WERCS EXAMPLE EMAIL TEMPLATE FROM WALMART.COM COMPLIANCE:
The items below have been identified by the walmart.com Item Setup Compliance Team as needing a WERCS assessment. Without a completed WERCS assessment, your items will not complete setup and will not be orderable or sellable on walmart.com.
If you haven’t completed WERCS for your items, please complete it via the WERCS Portal: https://secure.supplierwercs.com
If the manufacturer is entering the WERCS assessments for your company, the following information must be tied to the GTIN in order for the assessment to feed to Walmart’s systems.
The Vendor Name
The 6-Digit Vendor ID
The Item GTIN
Walmart must be listed as a retailer
Wal-Mart
Post time: Sep-21-2024
