Discover your next big idea for life sciences at PACK EXPO Las Vegas
Experience a breakthrough in life sciences packaging—explore solutions from 2,300 suppliers spanning all industries, all in one place this September

SGS Certified for ISTA Standard 20 Insulated Shipping Container Testing

SGSNorth America Inc. announced today that it has been certified to conduct thermal testing on insulated shipping containers used for transporting temperature-sensitive products such as pharmaceuticals in accordance with the new International Safe Transit Association (ISTA) Standard 20 certification/testing procedures and Standard 7E Thermal Profiles.

With the certification, insulated shipping container manufacturers can now
engage SGS to:

-- Measure their products' thermal performance under Standard 20 guidelines, which standardize global performance testing for insulated shipping containers.
-- Assess each package's adherence to the new Standard 7E profiles, which reflect day/night and latitudinal temperature exposures in trucks, transit storage facilities and air cargo spaces as determined in a three-year ISTA shipping lane study.
-- Submit results to ISTA to certify that the package conforms to
testing under Standard 20 using the Standard 7E profiles, enabling certified packages to carry the ISTA 7E Thermal Certification Mark.

Packages that receive the ISTA 7E Thermal Certification Mark are expected to have a competitive advantage because the mark will validate the container's performance, eliminating the need for manufacturers in sectors such as pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, medical and food to invest time and money in evaluating insulated packages themselves.

Testing will take place at SGS's flagship U.S. laboratory in Fairfield, N.J., which has passed an on-site audit by a Certified ISTA Thermal Transport Lab Auditor as required under Standard 20. SGS has also met the standard's Certified Thermal Professional training requirements and is equipped to provide documentation of testing protocols, data packages and reports in the required Standard 20 format.

"For FDA-regulated organizations like pharmaceutical manufacturers, proof of container performance is critical for ensuring that certain products will be maintained in acceptable temperature ranges throughout the supply chain. ISTA Standard 20 provides a common global methodology for testing that performance for the first time, including standard testing profiles and protocols," said Jason Sherrier, Packaging and Materials Lab Manager of SGS North America Inc.

"With this certification, SGS can help package manufacturers substantiate their container performance, provide apples-to-apples performance comparisons against the competition based on each package's 7E rating, and shorten the sales cycle by presenting ISTA-pre-qualified packages that free customers of lengthy evaluation procedures."

SGS's new ISTA Standard 20 certification is an expansion of the company's wide-ranging packaging testing services, including a global program to ensure packaging integrity for medical devices and pharmaceutical products. That program offers one-stop testing of product containers, secondary packaging and transit packaging to evaluate the product protection capabilities, durability and environmental sustainability of all package components.

SGS is exhibiting in Booth #3050 at the EastPack 2011 conference running June 7-9 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York. More information about SGS package testing services is available by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-777-TEST.
Medical Device Innovations Report
Cutting-edge packaging technologies are transforming the medical device sector in PMMI’s “Innovation in Medical Device” report, featuring advanced materials, smart solutions, and evolving regulations. Editors share insights from nearly 300 PACK EXPO booth visits—each product deemed new and truly innovative—alongside video demonstrations of the equipment and materials on display.
Learn More
Medical Device Innovations Report
Break out of the ordinary: see what’s new in life sciences packaging
<strong>At PACK EXPO Las Vegas, you’ll see machinery in action and new tech from 2,300 suppliers, collaborate with experts and explore transformative solutions. Join us in September to experience a breakthrough for life sciences products.</strong>
REGISTER NOW & SAVE!
Break out of the ordinary: see what’s new in life sciences packaging