For many online purchases, customers’ initial interaction with a brand and its product is typically through its packaging. Just as components or finished products are evaluated, testing packaging is recommended and sometimes necessary to help confirm safety and performance. Our packaging testing services can assess whether your packaging aligns with the requirements of applicable standards, providing you with increased confidence in your product’s packaging when it reaches your customers.

Packaging Testing Services

The International Safe Transit Association (ISTA)
The ISTA is a global alliance of shippers, carriers, suppliers, testing laboratories, and educational and research institutions focused on the specific concerns of transport packaging.

ISTA tests span from those used early in the design process as a screening tool (1-Series) to tests that simulate the hazards commonly encountered in a specific shipment type (3-Series). It is important to choose the appropriate test for your situation. If you are uncertain about which test is appropriate for you, our team can help you determine the type of ISTA tests that are relevant for your packaging.

We can conduct the following ISTA tests:

Amazon Packaging Support and Supplier (APASS)

Amazon, known for packaging products for shipment in its own boxes, initiated the Frustration-Free Packaging program in 2008. This program aims to provide customers with an easy unboxing experience, contributing to the positive perception of the product’s brand. The Frustration-Free Packaging program encompassing Prep-Free Packaging (PFP), Ships in Own Container (SIOC), and Frustration-Free Packaging (FFP) certification, encourages vendors to provide packaging that offers sufficient protection. This helps eliminate the need for an Amazon outer carton, requiring only a label to be applied to the packaging.

In collaboration with the ISTA, Amazon has developed extensive testing methods for items in both rigid and flexible packaging, accurately simulating the journey of a package through the Amazon fulfillment network. Consequently, passing a physical performance test is deemed necessary for manufacturers or vendors selling on Amazon who are looking to obtain applicable packaging certification.

CSA Group offers a range of testing methods that align with Amazon’s ISTA 6 series, including:

• ISTA-6 Overbox
• ISTA-6 Type A
• ISTA-6 Type B
• ISTA-6 Type C
• ISTA-6 Type D
• ISTA-6 Type E
• ISTA-6 Type F
• ISTA-6 Type G
• ISTA-6 Type H

Learn more about our Amazon APASS testing capabilities and services below:

Amazon APASS Packaging Testing Service

Applicable Standards for Packaging Testing

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