Hangzhou has debuted the country’s first health QR code-like system for e-commerce platforms. The Hangzhou Quality Green Code helps online shopping companies to comply with regulations related to containing the virus outbreak as well as accelerate the process of resuming work and production.

The code system assists with the quality control and support for suppliers of the e-commerce platforms through the whole circulation process.

Inspired by the Hangzhou Health Code created for tracing population flow during the epidemic, Hangzhou National E-commerce Produce Quality Supervision and Disposal Centre developed the new codes marked by green, yellow or red colors in five days with Yunji in mid-February.

“We understand the challenges faced by e-commerce sites including the need for verifying product packaging and qualifications of suppliers on the spot amid the virus outbreak,” said Chen Zhaobo, director of the center.

The codes are assigned based on basic information of products such as supplier names, class-I categories and product tags, product qualifications such as types of compulsory licensing, types of filing/registration and types of quality check reports, and partnership conditions.

“After suppliers’ uploading the compulsory licenses, three to five key inspection items and relevant qualifications, the code system will assess their production capacity, quality control capacity, shipment capacity and operational capacity for a certain product, and grant green codes to suppliers that meet all requirements, while suppliers granted with yellow or red codes will need to upload additional documents to get green ones,” said a developer of the codes.

E-commerce platforms will be able to access the information of suppliers by scanning the green codes on WeChat and randomly reviewing the information when necessary.

How to assure the authenticity of the information uploaded? It is actually very easy given that all compulsory licensing information has been made public on the site of the State Administration for Market Regulation. Shopping platforms will step up their verification process by letting companies with green codes launch products faster.

For instance, a shampoo maker based in Yuhang District has benefited from the system. The company previously needed to send samples to Yunji and wait for the platform to check on the packaging, tag information, and qualifications. The supplier would then submit the new products, upload the qualifications, packaging, and drop test results. The platform’s quality control unit would subsequently approve the launch. The whole process takes four to five days, while the code system can shorten it to within two days.

The center will help more platforms access the code system and help more companies to resume production in a more safe way.