Tests, Accrdedations and Certificates Required for Manufacturer of Activated Charcoal / Activated Carbon

As an activated carbon/charcoal manufacturer various tests and accreditation are required to help you supply across countries and the continent. A lot of these tests are application dependent or country dependent or shipping line dependent.

Application Dependent

1. Water

• The most common test required especially if you are supplying to the USA, South America & Canada is NSF 61. NSF is a body that ensures the product supplied is suitable to react / mix / clean potable or drinking water. To know more about the test, please visit NSF - 
• EN 12902 /12903: These are tests required if you activated carbon or charcoal is required to the EU for water purification

    Most of these tests have a fixed or limit based specification for the product to be supplied. They also particularly ensure the low limits of heavy metals.

1. Tables / Activated Charcoal Capsules / Oral Human Consumption

• EU / BP / USP / IP Standards: Depending on the customer or your customer’s end supply of Activated Charcoal tablets: one of the standards need to be adhered to while supplying the product. All the standards have similar specifications but a few tests and limits would be different from each other. A few aspects like Microbiological tests for Aerobic and Anaerobic count are critical for direct human consumption
• GMP - While a few organizations would also require adherence to GMP methods as prescribed in the Drug Master File.
• Food Grade: A few companies required food-grade certification as per Food Grade Chemical Code Index. Some organizations also accept food-grade ready where they are particularly interested in limiting harmful substances like Pb, As, Cu and heavy metals.

Other Certificates - Based on country of supply / Supply chain requirements/customer requirements

1. Self Heating Certificate - Self-heating certificate is critical when wishes to export via a few shipping lines. Self-heating ensures the product does not catch fire during transit and helps you secure a better freight rate with classification under Non-Hazardous. Classification under Hazardous would sometimes disallow your products on a few shipping lines. 
2. ISO 9001 Certificate: The ISO 9001 certificate is required especially if supplying to large companies, pharma companies, and food companies. All these companies have a mandate in their drug master file to approve suppliers only with ISO certifications. ISO certifications also help one ensure the processes and methods are aligned as per standards prescribed by our clients.
3. Halal Certification: Halal certification is required particularly when you are supplying to a few countries like Malaysia, Gulf, Indonesia, etc or your end customer is supplying to them. Various bodies assist in the certification. Halal India based out of Chennai is a recommended body. The objective of the certificate is to ensure manufacturing and practices are as per Halal standards.
4. Kosher Certification: Similar to Halal, Kosher certification is required when supplying to a few countries. Various bodies assist in the certification. The objective of the certificate is to ensure manufacturing and practices are as per Kosher standards.
5. TSE / BSE Certificate: The TSE / BSE is essentially required when one supplies to pharmaceutical and food companies. Each company would have their own formats of TSE / BSE and compliance would be needed
6. GMO-Free - GMO-free certificate is required to ensure no Genetically Modified Organism is used in the manufacture or packing of supply of material.
7. MSDS: Material Safety Data Sheet is critical for freight and outward logistics. It defines the nature of your product, combustibility, hazardous contents if any, self-ignition temperature and precautions to be maintained from point of supply to point of consumption. It also would define the Harmonised Tariff code of your product. For Activated Charcoal - HS 3802. 

While each customer might require all these tests/certificates or a few of them. There would be some other tests and standards required by your customer but the above list would be required as an SOP.