EN ISO 8317 is the European standard for reclosable child-resistant packaging. If a supplier tells you a container is "child-resistant", the question you should ask back is: "tested against which standard, and can I see the certificate?". Nine times out of ten the answer is ISO 8317 — and the certificate is either available or it isn't.
The certification protocol uses two panels of test subjects: a panel of 200 children aged 42 to 51 months, and a panel of 100 adults aged 50 to 70. The children get five minutes to try to open the packaging, then a demonstration, then another five minutes. Fewer than 15 percent of children may open the pack. Ninety percent of the adult panel must be able to open and correctly reclose it. Miss either threshold, the packaging fails.
Pharmaceutical dispensing containers. E-liquid refill bottles under TPD Article 20. Cannabis and CBD packaging in every regulated European market. Edibles and gummies — especially anything with cannabinoids or high-dose supplements like melatonin. Household chemicals classified as hazardous under CLP. If your product ends up on a shelf that a child could reach and contains something that could harm them, EN ISO 8317 (or the closely related ASTM D3475 in the US context) is what proves the packaging is designed against that risk.
A real EN ISO 8317 certificate names the specific bottle geometry, the specific closure, and the testing laboratory. It is not "our range is CR" — it is "SKU CGUB1-10MLV3 with cap XYZ, tested by lab ABC on date XX/XX/XX, passed". If a supplier can only produce a generic "we are ISO 8317 compliant" statement, that is not a certificate. That is marketing.
From 12 August 2026 the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation adds a separate requirement: a Declaration of Conformity covering the packaging itself (material composition, recyclability, EPR classification). That is separate from EN ISO 8317 and applies to essentially all packaging in the EU market — not just child-resistant packaging. We are collecting DoC documentation directly from Chubby Gorilla for the SKUs we distribute.
They test the same thing (child resistance of reclosable packaging) but under different protocols. ASTM D3475 is the US standard used by the CPSC. Manufacturers commonly test to both. For an EU sale you need ISO 8317 documentation.
The container and the closure together, as a system. Swapping a certified cap for an uncertified one on the same jar invalidates the certification. If you re-cap Chubby Gorilla jars with a non-Chubby Gorilla closure, you no longer have a certified CR pack.
Certificates typically remain valid as long as the tooling and material specifications do not change. In practice, credible manufacturers re-test at defined intervals and after any significant design revision. Ask your supplier when the SKU you are buying was last certified.