This article explains the full ChemCheck product lifecycle: from creating a product to making it publicly visible in search. It shows how your work connects with the certification body's work at each stage.

01/ Introduction

With the relaunch of the ZDHC Gateway, you now assign a certification body directly from within the platform. You no longer need to rely only on offline contact to initiate the process. The Safety Data Sheet (SDS) must be uploaded when you create the product, not just before publishing. You are no longer required to accept or decline certifications that a CB has assigned to your product: the certification is applied automatically once the CB has completed their review.

02/ The four stages

Stage 1 — You create the product

Go to ChemCheck, then Products, to create a new product. At a minimum, you must provide:

• Product name
• Product classification (substrate, category, use type)
• Safety Data Sheet (uploaded as a PDF file. DOC/DOCX files and URL links are not accepted)

The product is saved in Draft status. It is not visible to any other organisation at this point.

[screenshot]
Alt text: Screenshot of the ChemCheck product portfolio with one product listed in Draft status.

Stage 2 — You assign a certification body and share product details

To move the product into review, you need to assign at least one certification body. You can do this at the point of creation or from the product detail page later.

After assigning, the product status changes to Under Review.

Note: Assigning a certification body does not automatically notify them. After assigning, contact your certification body directly and provide your product name and ID. They need both to locate the product on their side. You can find the product ID on the product detail page, or download your full product list from the portfolio toolbar.

[screenshot]
Alt text: Screenshot of the Certificates tab showing the option to assign a certification body.

Stage 3 — The certification body reviews and certifies your product

This stage happens entirely on the certification body's side. They locate your product in their Approvals overview, review the Safety Data Sheet (SDS), and assign a ZDHC MRSL conformance level (Level 1, 2, or 3) and, if applicable, a Chemicals to Zero (CtZ) level.

You do not need to take any action during this stage. Once the CB has completed their review, the certification is automatically recorded on your product. You will see the certification details on the product detail page.

Note: Timelines for certification review vary by certification body. If you are waiting on a response, contact the CB directly.

Stage 4 — You publish the product

Once your product has been certified by at least one certification body, you can publish it.

Before you publish, confirm that your product has:

• At least one active certification assigned
• An uploaded Safety Data Sheet

To publish, open the product detail page and toggle the visibility to Published. The product is immediately visible in the ZDHC Gateway search to all organisation types.

[screenshot]
Alt text: Screenshot of the product detail page with the visibility toggle set to Published.

03/ Full lifecycle at a glance

04/ What can block a product from being published?

A product cannot be published if:

• No certification body has accepted it
• The Safety Data Sheet is missing

A published product will be automatically unpublished if the ZDHC MRSL standard it is certified against expires. See What happens when an MRSL standard expires? for more detail.

05/ Tips & Notes

Tip: You can assign multiple certification bodies to the same product. The product status reflects the best outcome across all CBs: if at least one CB has accepted it, the product is considered Accepted.

Note: The product name is locked after creation and cannot be changed directly by you. If you need to correct a product name, contact ZDHC customer support. See Why your product name is locked and how to request a change.