A guide to avoiding pitfalls when purchasing disposable wooden cutlery: 5 key questions you must ask your supplier
A Guide to Avoiding Traps When Purchasing Disposable Wooden Cutlery: 5 Key Questions to Ask Suppliers
In today's business environment pursuing sustainable development, disposable wooden tableware is popular for its environmentally friendly characteristics. However, for many companies, finding the right wooden tableware supplier is not an easy task.
In this blog, we will take a deep dive into how to avoid common traps in the procurement process and provide some practical suggestions to help you make a wise choice.
Dalian Greenwood teaches you how to avoid low-price traps and choose a truly reliable partner
Under the global wave of plastic ban, disposable wooden tableware has become a rigid product, but the market suppliers are mixed, and low-price traps, quality risks, delivery delays and other problems are frequent.
As an environmentally friendly tableware manufacturer with more than 20 years of industry experience, Dalian Greenwood summarizes 5 core questions that must be asked to suppliers to help you avoid procurement minefields and find a truly reliable partner.
"What international certifications have your products passed?" - Beware of false advertising
Certification is the "identity card" of product quality and compliance. Uncertified suppliers may use illegal wood or harmful additives, resulting in customs clearance failures, fines, and even damage to brand reputation.
Certifications that must be verified:
1. FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification: Ensure that wood comes from sustainably managed forests and avoid the risk of illegal logging. This not only helps protect the environment, but also meets consumers' expectations for environmentally friendly products.
2. FDA/LFGB food grade certification: Proves that the product can directly contact food and does not contain chemical pollutants (such as formaldehyde, heavy metals).
Tips to avoid traps:
Apply for a certification number and enter it on the official website (such as the FSC official website) for verification.
Be wary of vague terms such as "certification in progress" and "cooperating factories have been certified." It should be clear that the certification subject is the product itself.
Why is this important?
Many suppliers use "ultra-low unit prices" to attract customers, but set traps on mold fees and testing fees.
Case comparison:
| Project | Low-price supplier A | Compliant supplier B (such as Dalian Greenwood) | |
| Unit price | $0.02/piece (standard version only) | $0.03/piece (FSC certification included, free design) | |
| Additional fees | Mold fee $500, testing fee $300 | Free proofing, test report included in the quotation | |
Tips to avoid pitfalls:
Ask for written confirmation of all-inclusive pricing (including molds, testing, certification, and shipping).
Test responsiveness for small orders: Order 1,000 samples first to verify quality and delivery timeliness.
“Can you provide proof of capacity for the past 3 months?” – Avoid delivery delays
Why is this important?
When orders surge during peak season, suppliers with insufficient capacity may delay delivery, causing customers to miss business opportunities. It is crucial to understand the supplier's capacity and supply stability. Choose suppliers with sufficient capacity and stable supply to meet your business needs and avoid operations affected by insufficient supply.
Key data:
Monthly capacity: Dalian Greenwood has five factories at home and abroad, with a monthly output of more than 5 million pieces, and can undertake emergency orders (100,000 pieces, 7 days delivery).
Number of production lines: At least 3 production lines to ensure that progress is not affected if one line fails.
Raw material inventory: Good suppliers will reserve FSC-certified wood for more than 3 months.
Tips to avoid pitfalls:
Request a factory tour or video inspection, focusing on raw material inventory and production line status.
When signing a contract, specify the penalty for late delivery (e.g., 0.1% interest per day).
"How to solve quality problems?" - Evaluate after-sales service
Why is after-sales service so important?
Poor quality wooden tableware may crack, mold, and even cause customer complaints, so suppliers need to respond quickly.
Choose suppliers that provide good after-sales service, including timely responses to customer inquiries, handling product issues, and providing after-sales support. Make sure the supplier has a professional customer service team that can quickly and effectively solve your problems.
Criteria for qualified suppliers:
Quality inspection report: Provide a third-party inspection report for each batch of products.
Require suppliers to provide specific product quality control measures, including raw material testing, production process monitoring, and finished product inspection. Make sure the supplier has a strict quality management system to provide products that meet your standards.
After-sales commitment:
Unconditional return and exchange within 7 days after arrival.
Provide quality problem solutions within 24 hours.
Tips to avoid traps:
Request to provide previous customer complaint handling cases (such as replenishment speed, compensation plan).
Avoid choosing cross-border suppliers that do not have Chinese customer service or only support email communication.
"Can you provide cooperative customer cases and customer reviews?" - Verify strength
Why is this important?
Major customers are very strict in auditing suppliers, and cooperation cases are proof of their strength.
Reference Question List:
1. What well-known brands have you cooperated with?
2. Do you have experience in exporting to the European and American markets? What is the annual export volume?
3. Can you provide customer recommendation letters or cooperation evaluations?
Tips to avoid traps:
Spot-check the authenticity of customer cases: Contact 1-2 customers and ask about their cooperation experience.
Give priority to suppliers who have participated in industry exhibitions, and their strength is more guaranteed.
Through these questions, you can better evaluate the capabilities and reliability of potential suppliers and choose the most suitable partners. Remember that excellent suppliers should not only provide high-quality products, but also excel in environmental certification, production capacity stability, quality control, order flexibility and after-sales service.
When purchasing disposable wooden tableware, don't just be attracted by low prices. Carefully evaluate the comprehensive strength of suppliers to ensure that you can strike a balance between environmental protection and commercial benefits. By working with reliable suppliers, you can provide customers with high-quality environmentally friendly products while contributing to the sustainable development of the earth.
Dalian Greenwood Energy Commitment: Transparent Procurement, Zero Hidden Dangers
Completely transparent certification: All certification numbers are published on the official website and support global verification.
Price list: The quotation clearly lists the mold fee and inspection fee, and there is no hidden fee.
Capacity guarantee: on-site factory inspection, real-time viewing of production line status, and 24-hour production scheduling after the contract is signed.
Worry-free after-sales service: bilingual customer service in Chinese and English, priority compensation for quality issues.
Choice is more important than hard work, a rigorous list is better than ten blind price comparisons.
Dalian Greenwood - Make every investment worry-free and labor-saving, great value for money✨
