What is a white label product?

White label products are products that are sold by retailers and distributors using their own branding and identity, but are manufactured by a third party. And while it may seem like a completely different product because of the way it is branded, it is, for all intents and purposes, the same product.  In the BBA ecosystem, we work with a large range of clients who manufacture products and systems,  which are then resold under different branding, by resellers and distributors as their own.

How does BBA certification and white labelling work?

The BBA Agrément Certificate relates to a specific product, and a specific organisation, certifying that product against a specific set of criteria for a particular use. Each Certificate is unique to the organisation that has requested the certification and testing to be conducted – the output of which is an individual document that complies only to that specific organisation, thus allowing that business to make use of the BBA Certification logo on their products and marketing material.

When a manufacturer white labels a product, and makes it available for re-branding and resale by another business, although the product itself might be identical, the new business that is re-branding the product does not have authority to apply the same Certificate within their promotional material, as the Certificate does not correlate to their business.

What are my options as a manufacturer or reseller of white labelled goods?

The BBA offers a solution to the Master Certificate holders (the original manufacturer of the product who holds the original, valid, BBA Certificate) and the resellers of that same product, by means of a Reproduction Certificate.

A Reproduction Certificate essentially verifies that the product concerned has been tested and validated under the same criteria as the master Certificate, but is within the name of the reseller organisation – giving them full authority to use the BBA certification logo on their re-branded product, even though they have not undergone the testing of that product, themselves. The Reproduction Certificate is not identified as such, which means that it is indistinguishable from any other Certificate of its kind.

What is a Reproduction Certificate?

A Reproduction Certificate is essentially a ‘copy’ of the originally Certificate, with the same assessment criteria as forthe original product itself, but issued in the name of the reseller / distributor or where the product has been re-branded under a different product name.

For a Reproduction Certificate to be issued, the product must be broadly identical to the ‘Master’ product in the original Certificate, and manufactured at the same location. (Items covered under the original assessment can be omitted, if this will not adversely affect the product performance, but additional items are not permitted. Written authority must be obtained from the Master Certificate holder that the Certificate can be the subject of the Reproduction. Keep in mind that if the Master Certificate is withdrawn at any time, then the Reproduction subsequently is withdrawn too.  Although the Certificates themselves may be similar, the ongoing maintenance arrangement with a Reproduction Certificate is slightly different, with no reviews necessary, and only one surveillance visit per year, saving you time and money in the long-run too.