Looking to enter North American retail giants such as Walmart, Costco and Target? WERCS registration is a mandatory "required course" before listing battery products. Combining official rules and frontline practical experience, this article concisely sorts out the core points and high-frequency pitfalls of WERCS registration, helping you achieve efficient compliance and stable access to the North American market.

1. What is WERCS Registration?

WERCS (Worldwide Environmental Regulatory Compliance System) is a general product compliance data platform for the North American retail industry. Batteries, consumer products containing circuit boards and other products need to complete data registration in the WERCSmart system. Suppliers who complete registration are equivalent to obtaining a "compliance pass", and are more likely to be included in the approved supplier lists of retailers. For battery manufacturers planning to export to North America, this is an unavoidable prerequisite threshold.

2. Two Registration Modes: Select According to Product Form

WERCS registration for battery products is divided into two modes, with different material requirements and applicable scenarios, as detailed in the table below:

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3. Required Documents for Registration

• Color product photos • Application form • Ingredient analysis form • UN38.3 report (lithium batteries only) • English / French SDS report

4. Complete Registration in 6 Steps

1. Apply for membership: Register a WERCSmart platform account;
2. Subscribe to product tier: Select tiers such as up to 3/10/25 according to the expected number of registered products;
3. Pay subscription fee: Fees vary by tier;
4. Submit registration: Upload documents such as SDS, UN38.3, UPC, etc.;
5. Confirm fees and undergo review: Wait for official WERCS review;
6. Registration completed: Product ID can be queried on the official website, and the product enters the approved supplier list.

5. Subscription Pricing & Validity: 5 Pitfall Avoidance Points

1. Subscription by tier, not per unit: Subscribing to the "up to 25" tier costs the same regardless of whether you register 1 or 25 products.
2. Unlimited modifications within the subscription period: Products registered for more than one year can be deleted and replaced at no additional cost, facilitating product iteration.
3. Validity period is one year from the first subscription payment date: Regardless of when the product is registered, the expiration date is the subscription date + 1 year.
4. Mid-term upgrade is allowed with unchanged validity; downgrade requires deleting excess products in advance and ensuring they have been delisted at retailers with no inventory remaining.
5. Subscriptions auto-renew: If PayPal/credit card is bound, payment will be automatically deducted upon expiration; if not bound, it will be deemed as arrears, and long-term arrears will result in being blacklisted. To cancel a subscription, you must proactively notify in advance.

⚠ Important reminder: Once blacklisted by WERCS, it will affect the registration and listing of all subsequent products. Please pay close attention to the renewal status and account validity period.

6. Three Iron Rules for Account Management

1. Reset the password every 90 days to avoid account invalidation or theft.
2. Add 1–2 administrators for collaborative management to avoid the risk of single-point personnel absence.
3. Try to open only one account for the same company: Multiple accounts not only have higher unit prices and complex management, but also easily lead to blacklisting due to arrears, which is not worth the loss.

Closing Remarks

The essence of WERCS registration is to provide compliance data to retailers in advance and reduce review friction. Grasping the three main lines of "tier-based subscription, one-year validity period, and auto-renewal", combined with standardized SDS and UN38.3 documents, will allow battery exports to North America to achieve twice the result with half the effort.

About Energy Storage Testing

Guangdong Energy Storage Testing Technology Co., Ltd. has focused on battery testing and certification for more than ten years, is familiar with WERCS system rules and North American regulatory developments, and can provide one-stop services including SDS preparation, UN38.3 testing, subscription tier optimization, and full-process account agency services. Welcome to consult and apply.