Pretoria, South Africa — Thursday, 5 February 2026
Exporters of indigenous essential and vegetable oils and the many downstream processors in cosmetics, food and health sectors, who understand and apply the internationally recognized “℮” mark to prepackaged goods, gain a direct route to reduced border delays, lowered compliance risk, and strengthened consumer trust. By aligning legal metrology requirements, industry practices and regional cooperation, the “℮” mark effectively functions as a “metrological passport” and is a practical, verifiable gateway that turns compliance into a commercial advantage: faster market entry, fewer inspections and reduced regulatory risk for compliant packers, importers and exporters.
During a focused webinar on the “℮” mark system for pre-packaged goods from South Africa, Mr. Bernard Bau, Project Manager, GQSP-SA noted that “the “℮” mark is a practical, internationally aligned mechanism for signaling that a pre‑packaged product meets quantity‑control standards."
Over 100 participants received step‑by‑step, actionable guidance from the Legal Metrology Unit of the National Regulator of Compulsory Specifications (NRCS), on applying the “℮” mark, enabling processors, ingredient suppliers and producers of finished goods to align labelling and quantity-control practices with the EU directive (76/211/EEC) and reduce risk of non-compliance at borders. The NRCS underscored how the “℮” mark registration reduces inspection delays and regulatory risk for compliant packers and importers.
From an industry perspective, Mr. Will Coetsee, Advanced Research Manager at L’Oréal’s Sub-Saharan Africa Research & Innovation hub in Johannesburg, noted that “consistent net content is not a technical luxury but a commercial necessity — it protects brand reputation and makes entry into regional and international markets predictable.”
UNIDO, in collaboration with the NRCS, virtually launched a practical leaflet to support industry awareness, regulatory cooperation and regional alignment initiatives under the African Continental Free trade Area (AfCTFA) agreement. The leaflet is expected to shorten onboarding time for new exporters and move industry from awareness to concrete steps for “℮” mark readiness and regional market integration. Dr. Meintjies, Chief Technical Advisor encouraged the industry to use the new leaflet, engage with the NRCS, and begin at least one concrete readiness action in the next 30 days to accelerate compliance and market readiness.
The Global Quality and Standards Programme South Africa (GQSP‑SA) project is funded by SECO and implemented in close cooperation with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic).
For more information, please contact Mr. Bernard Bau, Project Manager, GQSP-SA: B[dot]Bau[at]unido[dot]org