【China, 22 June 2021】Recently, STC (Dongguan), a subsidiary of Hong Kong Standards and Testing Centre (STC) located in Dongguan, has been officially accredited by a well-known British fashion retailer, namely NEXT, becoming one of the designated testing laboratories in China.

With the accreditation from the NEXT, it demonstrates STC's prominent position and all-round capabilities in the testing, inspection and certification aspects. Now, STC is fully responsible for testing ranging from Furniture, Home Furnishings, Apparels, Shoes, Accessories, Cosmetics and more. STC provides one-stop testing services for enterprises that are preparing to enter the British fashion retail market.

The NEXT, which is a notable retailer of affordable fashion in the UK with an extensive range of products categories, has influential in the British fashion industry due to its popularity amongst consumers.

STC (Dongguan) was established in 2005 as an independent, third-party product testing, inspection and certification centre approved by the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC). STC has been closely serving the industries, continuously expanding its service network, and committing to providing professional, reliable and comprehensive testing services for the exponential development of global trade. By issuing internationally recognized reports, STC safeguards end consumers and provides confidence in the product’s safety.

About STC

Established in 1963 as a not-for-profit testing, inspection and certification organization, STC (Hong Kong Standards and Testing Centre) offers a wide range of services, including Toys, Children's Products, Textile, Apparel, Footwear, Furniture, Electrical and Electronic Products, Medical Devices, Food, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Products. STC became the first designated non-governmental CCC testing laboratory in Hong Kong in 2012 providing CCC testing service for local manufacturers and importers. In 2014, STC (Dongguan) became one of the first designated CCC testing laboratories in China with foreign capital. STC(Dongguan) invested in full-featured medical device laboratories at Dongguan in 2015 offering a full range of biocompatibility testing for medical device manufacturers in China and globally. It also obtained the accreditation from OECD GLP in 2019. In 2020, the Hong Kong Certification Centre (HKCC), an independent product certification body set up by STC, was officially accepted by the IEC System of Conformity Assessment Schemes for Electrotechnical Equipment and Components and Certification Body (IECEE CB) as the China National Certification Body (NCB) in Hong Kong. As a result, STC, offering a one-stop CB certification service, started to issue both CB Test Reports and Certificates. Over the years, STC has obtained numerous accreditations from international bodies, including CMA (China), CNAS (China), FCC (USA), CPSC (USA), Govmark (USA), IC (Canada), LUCIDEON (UK), SATRA (UK), Nemko (Norway), and CPSA (Japan), while also being a CBTL of IECEE-CB, establishing a leading position in the testing and certification industry in Southern China. To meet growing global demand, not only has STC set up cutting-edge testing laboratories and offices in China’s major cities such as Dongguan, Shanghai, Changzhou, Guangxi and Heilongjiang but also expanded to Vietnam, Japan, USA and Germany. Meanwhile, STC is actively exploring emerging markets to serve as “Your Global Testing, Inspection and Certification Partner”.

【Hong Kong, 30 March 2021】On March 30, STC (Hong Kong Standards and Testing Centre), The Hong Kong Federation of Commerce For Small and Medium Enterprises (FCSME) and the Global Economic Cooperative Alliance (GECA) entered into a “CooperationAgreement to Promote the Development of Unified Quality Standards in the Greater Bay Area” at STC’s headquarters. With a view to establishing and promoting unified quality standards for imported goods in the Greater Bay Area, so as to attract more consumers in China, Hong Kong, Macau and the Greater Bay Area, and to further improve the economy in the Greater Bay Area, Prof. Richard Fung, Chief Executive of STC, Mr. Sam Tam, Chairman of FCSME, and Mr. Thomas Yip, Vice Chairman of GECA Financial Development Committee, officiated at the signing ceremony. Also present were Dr. Franki Lee, STC’s Director of Business Development & Compliance, Mr. CK Tsang, Assistant Director of China Sales & Business Development, Ms. Elaine Cheng, President of FCSME, Ms. Shirley Li, Chairman of the Supervisory Committee, and others.

By this agreement, STC joined hands with FCSME and GECA, two not-for-profit chambers of commerce, to promote unified quality standards and safety standards in the Greater Bay Area, and the first project will be a "Bay Area Label" (provisional) to introduce high-quality Hong Kong and Korean products. This label will help consumers to identify qualified products of high acceptance and credibility. The signatory parties will jointly promote the use of the "Bay Area Label" in Shenzhen, Macau, Zhuhai and all cities in the Greater Bay Area to promote Hong Kong and Korean high-quality products among consumers in the Greater Bay Area, resulting in economic growth for the Greater Bay Area.

FCSME is a well-known not-for-profit chamber of commerce in Hong Kong. Under the guidance of the Hong Kong government, it is an international organization that specializes in supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in the Chinese community worldwide, and receives the strong support of the Hong Kong government.

GECA is a South Korean not-for-profit organization. It aims to provide a platform in economic (international trade) and social development in developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America through providing network opportunities, effective and transparent partnerships, innovations, business advisory services, training and continuing education.

Prof. Richard Fung, Chief Executive of STC highlighted the significance of collaboration with FCSME and GECA in developing a set of unified quality standards and safety standards for the Greater Bay Area. The Greater Bay Area is an important hub for China's economic development in recent years. This cooperation agreement is yet another example of how STC can provide professional services in support of economic growth as a leading conformity assessment service provider recognized and respected worldwide.

About STC