CSPA Team Advises UL in Collaboration with Allied Trade Associations, Manufacturers and Retailers
November 7, 2017
Steve Caldeira and the presidents of five allied trade associations sent a joint letter to the president of Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to express our members’ concerns about changes to UL Wercs Terms of Use Agreement and the introduction of the Tiered Data Use Structure. The association presidents urged UL Wercs to initiate a three-way dialogue between product manufacturers, retailers, and UL Wercs to increase mutual understanding of the role that each participant plays. This would provide a forum for voicing concerns and developing solutions aimed at increasing the efficiency of the WERCSmart system.
UL responded to the trade association presidents’ letter by announcing that it would form an advisory group that would include product manufacturers, retailers, and UL Wercs. UL also held a meeting on October 10 at the UL headquarters in Northbrook, IL that included senior representatives from Walmart, Target, CVS Health, Walgreens, the six trade associations, the Supplier Ingredient Reporting (SIR) Workgroup and UL Wercs.
CSPA’s Jim Jones, executive vice president of strategic alliances and industry relations, took the lead in presenting the trade associations’ concerns and suggestions to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of the data submission process and to reduce costs for retailers, suppliers and UL. Jones also expressed the willingness of the associations’ member companies to work cooperatively with retailers and UL to better understand and support retailers’ use of the WERCSmart system to obtain information that the retailers need for regulatory compliance and their transparency and sustainability programs. Going forward, CSPA, allied trades and the SIR Workgroup will continue to collaborate with retailers and UL Wercs to enhance the efficiency of the data submission process and reduce costs for retailers, suppliers and UL.
Steve Caldeira and the presidents of five allied trade associations sent a joint letter to the president of Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to express our members’ concerns about changes to UL Wercs Terms of Use Agreement and the introduction of the Tiered Data Use Structure. The association presidents urged UL Wercs to initiate a three-way dialogue between product manufacturers, retailers, and UL Wercs to increase mutual understanding of the role that each participant plays. This would provide a forum for voicing concerns and developing solutions aimed at increasing the efficiency of the WERCSmart system.
UL responded to the trade association presidents’ letter by announcing that it would form an advisory group that would include product manufacturers, retailers, and UL Wercs. UL also held a meeting on October 10 at the UL headquarters in Northbrook, IL that included senior representatives from Walmart, Target, CVS Health, Walgreens, the six trade associations, the Supplier Ingredient Reporting (SIR) Workgroup and UL Wercs.
CSPA’s Jim Jones, executive vice president of strategic alliances and industry relations, took the lead in presenting the trade associations’ concerns and suggestions to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of the data submission process and to reduce costs for retailers, suppliers and UL. Jones also expressed the willingness of the associations’ member companies to work cooperatively with retailers and UL to better understand and support retailers’ use of the WERCSmart system to obtain information that the retailers need for regulatory compliance and their transparency and sustainability programs. Going forward, CSPA, allied trades and the SIR Workgroup will continue to collaborate with retailers and UL Wercs to enhance the efficiency of the data submission process and reduce costs for retailers, suppliers and UL.