Stay ahead of compliance challenges

Product compliance management encompasses an array of due diligence tasks, including documentation of restricted substances, third-party product testing and certifications, and adherence to extended producer responsibility (EPR) requirements. Failure to comply can lead to serious consequences such as blocked shipments, fines, lawsuits, or even termination of retail and distribution contracts.

With increasing scrutiny from regulators and growing consumer expectations for transparency, the ability to manage compliance on a scale has become a critical capability for global brands and manufacturers. That’s where a solution like Inriver—with its flexible, centralized Product Information Management (PIM) platform.

So how can your organization stay ahead of constantly changing regulations and avoid costly penalties, recalls, or reputational damage? It starts with a strong, proactive approach to product compliance management. Here are six best practices every manufacturer, distributor, and brand should adopt to build a future-proof compliance strategy.

• Practice 1: Centralize Your Compliance Documentation
• Practice 2: Automate Regulation Monitoring
• Practice 3: Map BOM-Level Materials Accurately
• Practice 4: Embed Testing & Certification Workflows Early
• Practice 5: Train Cross-Functional Teams
• Practice 6: Audit & Improve Continuously
• Stay Ahead with a Scalable Product Compliance Strategy

Practice 1: Centralize Your Compliance Documentation

If your compliance documentation is scattered across emails, spreadsheets, and siloed systems, you’re risking delays, errors, and even legal issues. Centralizing your documentation in a single, accessible system ensures that every team—from R&D to marketing—can reference the most up-to-date information.

A Product Information Management (PIM) platform like Inriver can serve as a single source of truth for your product data and compliance documentation. Centralization makes it easier to provide audit trails, demonstrate due diligence, and quickly update documentation as regulations evolve.

Pro tip: Make sure your system supports multilingual, region-specific documentation, so you’re always compliant no matter where your products are sold.

Practice 2: Automate Regulation Monitoring

Global regulations change frequently. Whether it’s REACH, RoHS, WEEE, Prop 65, or country-specific safety standards, staying on top of every update manually is nearly impossible. Automating regulation monitoring ensures that you’re not caught off guard by new or revised legislation.

Solutions like Compliance & Risks or Assent help businesses keep track of regulatory updates in real time. By integrating these tools with your PIM or compliance management system, you can receive automatic alerts and take timely action to update product content, packaging, and certifications.

Why it matters: Reacting to changes after enforcement begins can lead to fines, halted shipments, and irreparable brand damage. With automation, you move from reactive to proactive compliance.

Practice 3: Map BOM-Level Materials Accurately

Bill of Materials (BOM) tracking isn’t just for engineering teams anymore. Regulatory bodies now require detailed data on every component and chemical substance in your product, especially when it comes to sustainability and environmental impact.

Accurate BOM-level substance mapping allows you to:

• Identify restricted or banned substances in real time
• Simplify the declaration of conformity
• Respond quickly to substance inquiries or audits
• Reduce the risk of non-compliant parts entering the supply chain

If you’re selling to markets that enforce REACH or SCIP database submissions, this step is non-negotiable. Consider integrating your BOM data with your compliance software to ensure seamless tracking and updates.

Pro tip: Collaborate closely with suppliers to gain visibility into component-level data. Make substance declarations a mandatory part of supplier onboarding.

Practice 4: Embed Testing & Certification Workflows Early

Testing and certification should never be an afterthought. Embedding these workflows early in the product lifecycle helps you catch potential compliance issues before they escalate into costly redesigns or launch delays.

Modern product compliance platforms allow you to manage testing and certification workflows as part of the product development process. This means you can:

• Set certification milestones
• Track testing progress and outcomes
• Maintain records of lab reports, safety data sheets, and test results
• Ensure every product version meets applicable standards before it hits the market

SAP Product Compliance offers comprehensive tools to help businesses embed compliance into their supply chain and product design workflows.

Why it matters: Testing late leads to last-minute failures. By embedding these steps, you reduce risk, save time, and improve market agility.

Practice 5: Train Cross-Functional Teams

Compliance is not just the responsibility of your legal or regulatory affairs team. From product designers and engineers to sales, marketing, and customer service, every department plays a role in ensuring compliance.

Invest in ongoing training and awareness programs to equip cross-functional teams with the knowledge and tools they need. Topics should include:

• Key regulations affecting your industry
• Internal compliance processes
• Data entry and management best practices
• Reporting requirements and escalation protocols

You can even use your PIM platform to embed compliance guidance directly into product workflows, helping team members make informed decisions without slowing down operations.

Pro tip: Make compliance a KPI across teams to reinforce its importance and promote accountability.

Practice 6: Audit & Improve Continuously

Product compliance isn’t a one-and-done activity. It requires continuous auditing and improvement to adapt to regulatory changes, supply chain shifts, and evolving customer expectations.

Regular internal audits help you:

• Identify gaps and inefficiencies in your compliance workflows
• Validate the accuracy of product data and documentation
• Ensure that testing, certification, and reporting processes are working as intended

Use these audits to gather insights and make informed improvements. Consider creating a compliance dashboard that visualizes key metrics such as testing status, documentation completeness, and regulatory coverage.

Why it matters: Continuous improvement transforms compliance from a risk management exercise into a strategic business advantage.

Stay Ahead with a Scalable Product Compliance Strategy

Product compliance is more than a regulatory requirement—it’s a competitive differentiator. Companies that build scalable, agile compliance strategies not only avoid penalties but also unlock faster time-to-market, higher customer trust, and greater operational efficiency.

At Inriver, we help brands and manufacturers centralize, manage, and distribute compliant product information across all channels. Our PIM solution is built to support evolving regulatory needs and empower your teams to deliver accurate, up-to-date product data with confidence.

Don’t let compliance hold you back. Embrace these six best practices and future-proof your business against global regulatory challenges.