WERCSmart registration for suppliers

Short answer: WERCSmart is UL Solutions’ product-data platform that many US and Canadian retailers, including Walmart, Target, Amazon, CVS, The Home Depot and Ulta Beauty, use to decide how a chemical-containing, aerosol or battery-powered product can be stored, shipped, sold and disposed of. If your product is in scope, the retailer will not set it up until it is registered. You submit the formula and Safety Data Sheet once, UL assesses it in about two to three business days, and the results go to every retailer you assign. You pay an annual subscription for as long as the product is in their supply chain.

For established manufacturers moving into new retail accounts, and for international brands adding US and Canadian retailers, WERCSmart is often the step that holds up item setup. It is rarely difficult. It is usually late, because nobody gathered the documents early enough.

What WERCSmart is

WERCSmart is a secure, permission-based platform that passes product information between manufacturers and retailers (UL WERCSmart: What is WERCSmart?). During registration you answer questions about the product and its contents. The questions change with the product’s intended use, the regulations that apply and each retailer’s own stewardship rules.

UL then processes the data in stages. An automated first stage derives over 600 compliance and sustainability data points, and UL’s assessment team reviews them for accuracy before approval (UL WERCSmart). Retailers receive the derived results and look them up by UPC or GTIN. They do not receive your formula, so confidential formulations stay with UL (UL Welcome to WERCSmart guide).

WERCSmart does not approve or reject products. It gives retailers structured data, and each retailer makes its own decision under its own category rules (SPS Commerce).

Which retailers require it

UL’s current partner list includes (UL WERCSmart retailer list):

Mass and club: Walmart/Sam’s Club, Target, Amazon, Meijer
Drug and beauty: CVS, Walgreens, Ulta Beauty
Grocery: Kroger, Albertsons, Ahold Delhaize USA, Publix, HEB, Hy-Vee, Wakefern, Winco
Home improvement and hardware: The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Ace Hardware, Floor & Décor, Sherwin-Williams
Value: Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar
Specialty: Best Buy, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Petco, Tractor Supply, Staples, Office Depot
Automotive: AutoZone, O’Reilly, Genuine Parts, Harbor Freight
Distributors and Canada: McLane, C&S Wholesale, United Natural Foods, Essendant, Canadian Tire, Home Hardware

Online marketplace programs can apply too. Target Plus, Target’s invite-only marketplace, requires sellers to register hazardous or environmentally sensitive items with UL WERCSmart and to cover all registration costs (Target Plus).

Walmart Marketplace sellers using Walmart Fulfillment Services follow a separate rule: chemicals, aerosols, pesticides and batteries generally need a Safety Data Sheet or label image submitted through Seller Center (Walmart Marketplace Learn). Do not assume one program covers the other.

Which products are in scope

Each retailer decides its own scope. Target’s examples are a useful guide to what most retailers flag (Target Accelerators):

Products containing a powder, gel, paste, scented oil or non-edible liquid, and anything with a compressed gas or propellant
Products labeled to kill, repel or prevent the growth of organisms, such as antimicrobials, antibacterials, herbicides and pesticides
Non-hazardous non-food liquids, such as non-aerosol sunscreen, shampoo, conditioner, lotion and cosmetics
OTC medications, vitamins and supplements, including pet products
Batteries and products that contain them, from lithium power banks to button cells in toys and watches
Aerosol foods, cooking oils and sprays, and drink enhancers
Inks, toner, glue, markers, paint and modeling clay

That list reaches well beyond obvious hazmat. A hand soap, a candle oil, a talking plush toy or a liquid skincare line can all be in scope. Walmart, for example, accepts products with a Nutrition Facts panel only if they are aerosols, compressed gases or concentrated liquids (UL WERCSmart).

To confirm scope, open the Retailer Partners page inside your WERCSmart account, which carries each retailer’s notes and, for some, a downloadable in-scope report. If that is unclear, ask the buyer. Target asks suppliers to email [email protected] (UL WERCSmart).

What to prepare before you register

Registration goes quickly when the documents are ready. Collect these first (SPS Commerce; UL Welcome to WERCSmart guide):

A current Safety Data Sheet in the 16-section OSHA/GHS format, where one applies. Section 1 helps you pick the right product type in WERCSmart.
The full formulation, with each ingredient’s percentage and CAS number. It should match Section 3 of the SDS.
Physical and chemical properties, such as pH, flash point and physical state.
Packaging details, including container type, materials and size.
Label images and any test documents.
UPCs for every item and size you will sell.
Transport information, such as UN numbers and battery details.

If you are not the formulator, this is where projects stall. Contract manufacturers and overseas factories often treat formulas as confidential. Explain early that WERCSmart keeps the formula from the retailer, or ask the manufacturer to register the product directly and grant your retailers access.

UL can also write an SDS for you as an Authoring Request, completed within the same assessment window (UL WERCSmart). Walmart private-label items need a UL-authored SDS each time they are registered, recertified or forwarded (UL WERCSmart).

How registration works

Enroll in a subscription. You choose an annual plan before submitting. It renews automatically on your enrollment date (UL WERCSmart).
Choose the product category. UL groups registrations into formulated products, enhanced articles (such as beverages and products sold with lithium batteries) and articles (UL Welcome to WERCSmart guide).
Register by formula. UPCs that share a formula, or run on the same battery, can be combined under one registration (UL WERCSmart subscription plans). Three sizes of the same shampoo are normally one registration, not three.
Assign retailers and submit. Results flow to the retailers you add, and you can add retailers or UPCs later.
Fix any flags. UL emails you about any issue, and the product shows red on your home page until it is resolved. Approved data shows green and goes to your retailers (UL WERCSmart).

How long it takes

UL’s assessment takes two business days per its expedite guidance, or “generally 2-3 business days” per its overview (UL WERCSmart expedite; UL WERCSmart overview). You can ask to expedite, but UL decides case by case and makes no guarantee.

Retailers add their own time. At Target, the reviewer usually takes up to three business days, and Target’s systems need at least 24 hours more to process the data (Target Accelerators).

In practice, the longest step is collecting accurate formulas and SDSs from manufacturers. Start when the buyer signals interest, not when the item setup form arrives.

What it costs

Cost depends on the plan (UL offers three), the product category and how many registrations you hold. UL publishes its current figures in the WERCSmart Subscription Price List (2026), which you can see in your account (UL WERCSmart subscription plans).

As an approximate guide only: UL’s 2022 onboarding guide listed entry-plan rates for one registered product of about $440 a year for a formulated product, $352 for an enhanced article and $77 for an article, with per-product rates falling as volume rises (UL Welcome to WERCSmart guide). Check the current list before you budget. The supplier pays for registration, and retailers pay separately for their access (Target Accelerators).

Keeping registrations current

The subscription must stay active as long as your products remain in a retailer’s supply chain (UL WERCSmart). UL can also trigger recertification when regulations, retailer requirements or the platform change, and you then update and resubmit the product (UL WERCSmart). Any formula change should go through WERCSmart before the new version ships.

WERCSmart sits alongside other rules, not in place of them. Cosmetics still need MoCRA compliance, and Amazon runs its own product compliance checks.

How AEG helps

AEG Accelerator has spent almost two decades building brands across Amazon, Walmart, Shopify/DTC and wholesale. For established companies and manufacturers opening new retail accounts, we map which products are in scope, collect documents from factories and formulators, and schedule registration around the buyer’s item setup dates. See our e-commerce and distribution services.

Book a strategy call to plan your next retail launch.

FAQ

Is WERCSmart the same as WERCS? Mostly. WERCS stands for Worldwide Environmental and Regulatory Compliance Solutions, and WERCSmart is the UL Solutions platform suppliers use to register products for it (SPS Commerce).

Do I need a separate registration for each retailer? No. One registration can send data to every participating retailer you assign.

Do I need one registration per SKU? Not always. UPCs that share a formula or battery can sit under one registration.

Does the retailer see my formula? No. Retailers receive the data UL derives from it, not the formula itself.

Can I stop paying once my product is approved? No. The subscription must stay active while the product remains in a retailer’s supply chain.