Confidentiality for industrial samples: NDA, sample handling and data retention
Separate a sample from the information around it
An industrial sample carries more than material: its label, batch information, supplier identity and the question you ask can reveal a development or purchasing project. We therefore distinguish the physical sample, analytical results, business correspondence and the personal information of the person contacting us. The agreement requires both parties to keep sample information, results and business information confidential, except where disclosure is required by law. That obligation covers project information; it is not a claim that no service provider or authority will ever see relevant data.
The declaration form asks for company or full name, country, work e-mail, product name and category, physical form, SDS or known composition, project question and photographs of product and label. We use this information to decide whether we can receive and analyze the sample and to prepare the quotation, agreement and shipping process. Stating the actual product is necessary for review; replacing it with an invented generic label would weaken the review and the parcel record.
Who may handle project data
Our privacy policy says relevant information may be shared with providers supporting e-mail, payment, courier and customs-clearance work, and information-technology tools where needed to complete the service. It also permits disclosure when required by law or a competent authority, or when needed to protect lawful rights and interests. Those rules are broader in operational detail than the agreement's short confidentiality clause, so read both documents together rather than interpreting "confidential" as absolute isolation.
The policy says information is processed in China. Website form declarations first pass through the website host, Cloudflare, and are deleted there after transfer to us. The policy describes the technical and organizational safeguards we apply to personal information and analytical data. We do not use personal information for commercial purposes unrelated to our analytical services. These statements describe the published handling rules; they do not authorize a promise of zero access, zero risk or perpetual secrecy.
What happens to the sample and the records
Some or all of a sample may be consumed during analysis; consumed material is not returned. The agreement allows remaining sample to be destroyed after its retention period unless return was requested in time, and says analysis residues are destroyed under laboratory procedures. A requested return is at the client's cost. Physical return of a remaining sample is distinct from deletion of information already needed for the service or required recordkeeping.
The privacy policy keeps personal information and analytical data as long as reasonably needed for its stated purposes and any period required by law; when no longer required, information is securely deleted or anonymized as applicable. Subject to legal requirements, a person may ask to access, correct or delete personal information by e-mail. A request to correct a contact detail does not rewrite the identity of a sample already received or the analytical findings for that sample. Report integrity also matters: the agreement prohibits altering or falsifying the report.
Share only what the project requires
A manufacturer can make the project brief precise without adding unrelated internal history. Identify the actual product, safe handling information and analytical question, then consider whether commercial context beyond that is necessary to answer it. If a supplier comparison is the task, a clear reference-versus-candidate label may be more useful than a long account of negotiating positions. Accurate disclosure for sample acceptance and restrained disclosure of unrelated commercial details can coexist.
How to start
We accept overseas industrial samples after declaration review. Use the sample declaration form and read the related guide. Our reports are research-grade analytical reports from a laboratory that is not accredited. They cannot be used for product registration or legal proceedings.
FAQ
Does confidentiality mean no provider sees any information?
No. The privacy policy allows relevant information to be shared with service providers needed for e-mail, payment, courier, customs and IT work.
Is legally required disclosure excluded from the agreement?
No. Both parties keep sample, result and business information confidential except where disclosure is required by law.
Can I request return of remaining sample?
Yes. The agreement allows a timely return request for remaining sample at the client's cost; consumed material and analysis residues are not returned.
Can I ask to correct my contact information?
Subject to applicable law, you may request access, correction or deletion of personal information using the contact e-mail in the privacy policy.
Send a sample declaration for this product and state the question you want answered.