Swissness for cleaning agents and detergents

Following the approval of the Swissness legal package by the Federal Council on 23 November 2016, the new regulations now have to be implemented by SKW and the companies.The new regulations on the Swiss indication of source and the use of the Swiss cross on products apply to cosmetics products as well as cleaning agents and detergents.

 

Need for clarification for Swiss producers 

  • Do my products comply with the new legislation 
  • Sales of products until 31 December 2018, which have been produced in accordance with previous law
  • Have suppliers been informed about the new legal requirements and do the supply agreements stipulate that the suppliers are liable for potential damages arising from Swissness claims in the case of an incorrect indication of source being provided for a raw substance
  • Contract manufacturers: Has the issue of responsibility and/or option to transfer a claim back to the customer been regulated in the case of the illegal use of a Swissmade claim or Swiss flag. The issue regarding the responsibiliti for the formula and product label aso remains.

For detergents and cleaning products («industrial products»), at least 60% of the manufacturing costs must occur in Switzerland. All production costs (i.e. costs for raw materials, semi-finished products, accessory parts, product- related salaries and production overhead costs) can be taken into account and now additionally the costs for research and development, quality assurance and certification. 

There are also exceptions provided for under the new law: 

  • Natural products that are not found in Switzerland (e.g. precious metals, steel, mineral oils) are not included in the calculation.  
  • Materials that are not available in sufficient quantities in Switzerland are simply taken into consideration as a percentage, i.e. only to the extent they are available in Switzerland. 
  • Additives of minor importance may be ignored. In addition, at least one essential manufacturing step must have taken place in Switzerland.

More about Swissness