whitepapers Archives

The Global Cosmetics Market

Posted on December 10, 2021October 9, 2023 by rfxadmin

The 2021 global beauty industry market is valued at $511 billion, and the global beauty and personal care market could reach $716.6 billion by 2025. These “breathtaking” figures show that cosmetics, which are a segment of these broader industries, will continue to be a lucrative and important product category.

This rfxcel white paper presents current information about the global cosmetics market to help facilitate a better understanding of products and how they are regulated, characteristics of the supply chain, industry changes and challenges, and the world’s leading companies.

It defines the five cosmetics categories (skin care, hair care, makeup, fragrances, and hygiene products) and goes into the granular details of how these products and their ingredients are regulated in three important markets:

United States: the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) and the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA)
Europe and Great Britain: EU Cosmetic Regulation and the UK Cosmetic Regulation
Singapore: Health Products Act (HPA) and the Health Products (Cosmetic Products -ASEAN Cosmetic Directive) Regulations (HPR)

It profiles the industry’s “Big 3” — L’Oréal, Unilever, and Estée Lauder — using each company’s latest marketing and sales data. These concise sketches also describe what the companies are doing to maintain their market positions in an increasingly competitive and complex environment.

In terms of the cosmetics supply chain, the white paper discusses its four primary sectors and the importance of keeping operations flexible yet structured. It describes two of the “core” ingredients that are found in many products, palm oil and mica, and why they pose significant challenges and risks to manufacturers.

It concludes with a look at four critical industry changes: environmental concerns, technological innovations, counterfeits, and new regulations. It also talks about the effect of the pandemic and how cosmetics companies have had to rethink production and marketing strategies to keep their workers safe and consumers engaged.

Traceability in the Food Supply Chain

Posted on July 14, 2021July 28, 2023 by rfxadmin

This white paper describes how traceability transforms food products into powerful “digital assets,” helps prevent common supply chain and business problems, and brings an array of benefits to all actors in the food supply chain. It examines the regulatory landscape in the United States, where the Food and Drug Administration has made food traceability one of its top priorities. We examine the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the Food Traceability List, and the Final Rule on Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods. We feel food companies and their trading partners everywhere can benefit from understanding these requirements and should see them as indicative of where the industry is headed in terms of regulations, technology, and consumer expectations.

Pharmaceutical Compliance: A Global Overview

Posted on April 27, 2021September 13, 2022 by rfxadmin

rfxcel continually monitors the regulatory landscape in order to improve our products and customer service and maintain our position as the leader in pharmaceutical compliance. We strive to bring you the most accurate and complete information about news, trends, and other developments at all levels of the pharmaceutical supply chain — local, national, regional, and global.

Updated periodically, our “Pharmaceutical Compliance: A Global Overview” publication summarizes regulations in key markets, from Australia to United Arab Emirates. It provides at-a-glance details about pharmaceutical compliance fundamentals, including deadlines, milestones, barcoding requirements, aggregation, and traceability. We also share links to other helpful information about global pharmaceutical compliance, such as official government agencies and their supply chain regulations and announcements.

Furthermore, we’ve taken the opportunity to include a comprehensive bibliography of our own pharmaceutical compliance resources. We share our white papers, webinars, blog posts, articles in industry publications written by our supply chain experts, and press releases about rfxcel’s accomplishments in pharmaceutical compliance. These resources cover everything from specific regulations (e.g., the EU Falsified Medicines Directive, the U.S. Drug Supply Chain Security Act, and Russia Chestny ZNAK) to more general information about the pharmaceutical supply chain and how to keep it safe and secure.

Russia Serialization Deadlines: Overview of Russian track and trace requirements

Posted on March 16, 2021October 28, 2022 by rfxadmin

Russia has the strictest supply chain regulations in the world. Are you ready to comply?

Some Russia serialization deadlines have come and gone; others are scheduled for 2021 and 2022. The fact is that the Russian supply chain is undergoing massive change. The transformation is due to be complete by 2024 and will affect virtually every industry, from pharmaceuticals and footwear to tires and tobacco.

The regulations are complex, but the gist is that companies must connect and comply with Russia’s National Track and Trace Digital System, known as Chestny ZNAK. Requirements and Russia serialization deadlines vary by industry, but hallmarks include DataMatrix codes, serialization, aggregation, crypto codes, and electronic reporting and records management.

The paper begins with an overview of Chestny ZNAK, the regulations and Russia serialization deadlines, and considerations for stakeholders (manufacturers, importers, wholesale distributors, and retailers). It then addresses each industry, including labeling requirements and detailed lists of products that must be serialized.

It provides a comprehensive examination Russia serialization deadlines and the requirements for every industry that currently must comply with Chestny ZNAK:

Bicycles
Dairy
Footwear
Fur
Light industry
Medications
Perfumes
Photo cameras and flashbulbs
Tires
Tobacco

It also dives into Russia serialization deadlines and requirements for ongoing or scheduled “experiments” (i.e., pilots):

Bottled drinking water
Wheelchairs
Biologically active food additives
Brewing products and low-alcohol drinks

rfxcel is the leader in Russian supply chain compliance, and we’ve been prepared for the Chestny ZNAK regulations and Russia serialization deadlines since 2018. Our powerful rfxcel Traceability System (rTS) platform ensures companies in any industry will remain compliant. Furthermore:

We are an official software and integration partner of the Center for Research in Perspective Technologies (CRPT).
We are accredited as an IT Company by the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media.
We are one of only a few providers with in-country implementations.
We’ve tripled our workforce in Russia over the last year.
Our team in Moscow provides our clients, which include global consumer goods and pharma companies, the quickest time to market while automating their compliance reporting.
rTS works seamlessly with Chestny ZNAK, including a Russian-language user interface that makes integration and startup much quicker.

Blockchain-Based Supply Chain Traceability

Posted on December 14, 2020December 15, 2021 by rfxadmin

Blockchain is here to stay, and companies in diverse industries are either investigating how they might benefit from its strengths or have already invested in using the technology in their operations.

As you probably know, a key appeal of blockchain is its ability to maintain immutable records in a decentralized fashion. For supply chain traceability, blockchain allows the provenance of any product to be easily demonstrated with and supported by immutable, tamper-proof data. This not only improves product safety, expedites regulatory compliance, and helps prevent counterfeiting, fraud, and waste — it enhances transparency and visibility, and creates new possibilities to engage consumers with compelling, verifiable product stories.

This white paper provides an overview of the origins of blockchain, from its earliest applications in cryptocurrency and recordkeeping, and discusses how it has transitioned into other industries, including supply chain management. In so doing, we hope to demystify blockchain, which despite its growth and the “buzz” surrounding it, remains opaque to many.

We also examine rfxcel’s Blockchain solutions, our proprietary, platform-agnostic solution that helps customers and their partners ensure that they can interface with blockchain applications. You’ll see how our solutions improve end-to-end supply chain traceability, visibility, and transparency, and learn how it can work in the pharmaceutical, food and beverage/agribusiness, consumer goods, and government industries.

Our trust in the items we consume, from prescription drugs and organic foods to name-brand designer goods, depends on the reliability of supply chains. For almost 20 years, rfxcel has committed itself to making supply chains safer, faster, and more traceable and transparent. We recognize the potential of blockchain and will work with you when you’re ready to see how it might benefit your operations.

Russia Chestny ZNAK and the Dairy Industry

Posted on September 9, 2020July 21, 2021 by rfxadmin

A pilot for dairy products began in July 2019 and ended on December 31, 2020. Mandatory labeling for cheese and ice cream is scheduled to begin June 1, 2021. Labeling for products with specific shelf lives is to begin on September 1 and December 1, 2021. Dairy will be unique because Chestny ZNAK plans to share track and trace duties with another government system.

This short white paper provides details about the dairy category, such as:

2D Data Matrix Codes for Dairy Products

Product packaging must have a blank field up to 15×15 mm to accommodate the code.
For products in PET bottles, caps must be prepared properly to accommodate either printing or marking with a laser.
If a manufacturer has concerns about marking any of its packaging — an unusually shaped carton or bottle, for example — it can submit a sample of the packaging for testing to determine if the codes will adhere to it and if the form factor affects the accuracy/reliability of scanning.
Aggregation is required, and the parent-child relationship must be maintained between the aggregation and the individual units within it.

The white paper also has an easy-to-understand overview of the Russian regulations, including its origins, basic labeling requirements, and other aspects relevant to any company that wants to do business in Russia.

rfxcel is the leader in Russian supply chain compliance, and we’ve been prepared for the Chestny ZNAK regulations since 2018. Our powerful rfxcel Traceability System (rTS) platform ensures companies in any industry will remain compliant. Furthermore:

We are an official software and integration partner of the Center for Research in Perspective Technologies (CRPT).
We are one of only a few providers with in-country implementations.
We’ve tripled our workforce in Russia over the last year.
Our team in Moscow provides our clients, which include global consumer goods and pharma companies, the quickest time to market while automating their compliance reporting.
rTS works seamlessly with Chestny ZNAK, including a Russian-language user interface that makes integration and startup much quicker.

Russia Chestny ZNAK and the Bottled Drinking Water Industry

Posted on September 9, 2020January 27, 2022 by rfxadmin

Russia Chestny ZNAK and the Bottled Drinking Water Industry: How to achieve track and trace compliance in Russia + serialization and aggregation for global players.

Russia’s National Track and Trace Digital System, Chestny ZNAK, covers a wide range of products and industries, including bottled drinking water. The pilot for bottled drinking water began on April 1, 2020, and is scheduled to end on June 1, 2021.

Russia’s regulations have strict standards for serializing and tracing all products manufactured in or imported into Russia. For example, products must be labeled with unique cryptographic (“crypto”) codes. To prepare your products for the Russian market, you must understand the Chestny ZNAK regulations and choose a solution that will fulfill your specific application requirements. This short white paper looks at the principles and approaches for the process of marking and tracing bottled drinking water. It will help you understand Chestny ZNAK’s critical implementation and technological aspects for the bottled drinking water industry.

rfxcel is an official integration, software, and tested solution partner with the Center for Research in Perspective Technologies (CRPT), which manages Chestny ZNAK. We’re also accredited as IT Company by Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media. Today, companies are using our track and trace solutions to achieve and maintain compliance. rfxcel transforms business value with a digital supply chain and by helping companies accelerate the process for meeting Russia’s regulatory requirements. As your partner, we’ll safeguard your products while ensuring you remain compliant with Chestny ZNAK.

Bottled Drinking Water Pilot Milestones and Goals

Economic agents order 2D Data Matrix codes and apply them to finished products.
All information transferred electronically to Chestny ZNAK.
Aggregation of products in shipping packages and aggregation of codes for each unit in the aggregation.
Marked products enter circulation.
Track and trace of products in the supply chain and Universal Transfer Documents (UTDs) to record the transfer of codes between stakeholders.
Goods withdrawn from circulation at the time of purchase via communication with point-of-sale cash registers and scanning devices.

DSCSA: Preparing for the Full Serialization of the U.S. Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

Posted on May 12, 2020September 12, 2023 by rfxadmin

The U.S. Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) will fundamentally change how pharmaceutical companies do business in the United States. Though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on August 25, 2023, announced an extended stabilization period that will be in effect until November 27, 2024, giving the industry more time to comply, the key takeaway is, Don’t stop preparing.

This paper gets into the specifics of the DSCSA and what all actors in the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain must do to comply. If you’re a manufacturer, wholesale distributor, dispenser (i.e., pharmacy or healthcare system), repackager, or third-party logistics provider (3PL), download it today and contact us to discuss your needs for DSCSA compliance.

Russia Serialization for Footwear

Posted on February 13, 2020July 21, 2021 by rfxadmin

This white paper uses footwear as a case study to examine the complex Russian serialization regulations for the consumer goods industry. Starting July 1, 2019, manufacturers, importers, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers had to begin labeling their products with 2D Data Matrix codes. By February 1, 2020, footwear supply chain actors were expected to have obtained all necessary equipment (e.g., barcode scanners, printers, cash registers) and mastered the new system. Beginning March 1, 2020, production, import, and wholesale and retail sale of unmarked footwear is prohibited. Learn what you need to know to be compliant now — and always.

Russia Serialization for Pharma

Posted on February 13, 2020July 21, 2021 by rfxadmin

Our Russia serialization white paper looks at the massive changes coming to Russia’s supply chain, due to be completed by 2024. The transformation, designed to keep fake and substandard products out of the market, will have a huge impact on the pharmaceutical industry. For example, manufacturers and distributors must connect and comply with the National Track and Trace Digital System, Chestny ZNAK. All medications, including over-the-counter (OTC) medications, must be serialized, and there are special requirements for aggregation and separate serialization requirements for batches. Download this concise, easy-to-understand resource about the Russian pharma regulations.

For other questions, please reach out to our local experts:

Russia
Victoria Kozlova
Director of Operations
Send Mail
P: +7 985 7504284

USA
Nigel Taylor
VP of Sales
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P: +1 650 576 7235

Europe
Simon Manley
Commercial Director
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P: +44 1223 926923

Latin America
Vinicius Bagnarolli
Commercial Director
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P: +55 11 97148 7826

India
Arun Rao
Head of Business Development
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P: +91 982 063 9476

Category: whitepapers