International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization

What International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization does

ICPHSO (International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization) is a 501(c)-style nonprofit membership association founded in 1993 by senior officials of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (including Ross Koeser and David Schmeltzer) together with state and local regulators, industry representatives, and consumer advocates. It is the only global organization dedicated exclusively to advancing consumer product safety, and operates as a neutral, non-partisan forum where regulators, manufacturers, retailers, testing laboratories, law firms, consumer advocates, and standards bodies convene around emerging safety issues.

Its core offerings are three annual events — the four-day Annual Meeting & Training Symposium in the U.S. (February, ~800 participants), the International Symposium held outside the U.S. (200-350 participants, biennially in Brussels during the European Commission's International Product Safety Week), and the North America Regional Training Workshop (June, 200-250 participants). Supporting programs include webinars, a free Design Safety Toolkit, a Mentorship Program pairing students and early-career professionals with industry experts, a Scholarship Program (including the David Schmeltzer Founder Scholarship Fund and an Amazon-co-developed Mentorship Scholarship), and an online Career Center for product-safety job postings. Underlying technology is conventional association infrastructure: a YourMembership AMS, a website (icphso.org), YouTube for archived webinars, LinkedIn/Facebook for community engagement, and mobile meeting apps for conference polling and networking.

Revenue is generated across five streams: tiered individual memberships ($100-$250/year, calendar-year-based and non-voting), conference registration fees (Annual Symposium $1,150-$1,850 depending on member status and timing; International Symposium $650-$750; one-day passes available), multi-tier event sponsorships (Diamond, Gold, Silver, Host, Supporter levels), branded merchandise sales, and year-round scholarship sponsorship donations. Operations are run by an Executive Director (Marc J. Schoem since 2015, ex-CPSC) with a small staff (1-10) backed by Association Headquarters Inc., a chartered association management company. Governance is via a volunteer Board of Directors (11-19 members) including representatives from Walmart, Amazon, Google, IKEA, Cooley, Sedgwick, ASTM International, and others.

Name

International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization

Legal name

International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization

Website

https://icphso.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO), founded in 1993 and headquartered in Mt. Laurel, NJ, is a nonprofit membership association that convenes global regulators, manufacturers, retailers, testing labs, lawyers, and consumer advocates through annual conferences and educational programs dedicated exclusively to consumer product safety.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Product Safety Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAFAD

Internal Audit & SOX/ICFR Advisory

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Risk, Compliance & Governance Advisory

Keywords

• Consumer product safety
• Regulatory compliance training
• Professional membership association
• Product safety conferences
• International safety symposium

Headquarters

HQ city

Mount Laurel

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual individual non-voting memberships at multiple levels including Business ($250/year), Sole Practitioner ($175/year), Non-Business/Government/Academia/Consumer ($125/year), and Non-Conference Membership ($100/year). Memberships are calendar year based and individual-based, not organizational.
2. Conference Registration Fees: Revenue from three annual conferences: Annual Meeting & Training Symposium (member: $1,150-$1,350; non-member: $1,850), International Symposium (member: $650; non-member: $750), and North America Workshop. Includes full conference passes and one-day passes.
3. Sponsorships and Exhibitor Opportunities: Organizations showcase products, services, and innovations through sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities at ICPHSO events. Multiple sponsorship tiers including Diamond, Gold, Silver, Host, and Supporter levels.
4. Merchandise Sales: ICPHSO merchandise store selling branded apparel and promotional items. Proceeds help fund educational programs, scholarships, and other initiatives.
5. Scholarship Sponsorships: Year-round scholarship sponsorships accepted from any amount, designated for assisting scholarship recipients attending conferences with associated costs including registration, travel, and hotel.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

ICPHSO is a nonprofit membership association that operates the leading neutral international forum for consumer product health and safety. It delivers recurring professional education through three annual in-person conferences (Annual Meeting & Training Symposium in the U.S., International Symposium abroad, and the North America Regional Training Workshop), supplemented by member webinars, a free Design Safety Toolkit, a Mentorship Program, a Scholarship Program, and an online Career Center job board serving product safety professionals worldwide.

Product overview

ICPHSO is a non-profit membership organization (not a technology product company) that provides education, training, and professional development programs focused on consumer product health and safety. Its core offerings consist of three annual conferences: the four-day Annual Meeting & Training Symposium held in February in the U.S., the two-day International Symposium held annually outside the U.S. (alternating between Brussels and other international locations), and the one-day North America Regional Training Workshop held in June. Supporting services include webinars on various product safety topics, the Design Safety Toolkit (a free web-based resource for product safety design), a Mentorship Program pairing industry professionals with students, a Scholarship Program supporting attendance, and an online Career Center for job postings. The organization does not offer a software platform or technology product; its offerings are educational programs, networking events, and informational resources for the product safety community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Meeting & Training Symposium ICPHSO's signature four-day international conference held annually in February in the United States (Orlando, FL or Washington, D.C. area), attracting approximately 800 participants. Features plenary sessions on international product health and safety trends, U.S. CPSC activities, and basic training in legal and compliance aspects of product safety.
• International Symposium A two-day conference held annually outside the United States in October or November, attracting 200-350 participants. Held biennially in Brussels, Belgium in conjunction with the European Commission's International Product Safety Week, providing opportunity for international dialogue on product health and safety matters.
• North America Regional Training Workshop A one-day regional workshop held each June in various North American cities, offering manufacturers and suppliers in-depth training on product health and safety requirements and compliance obligations, primarily focused on CPSC, Health Canada, and other regulatory agency rules and regulations.
• Webinars Virtual webinars on a wide range of product safety subjects offered throughout the year. Some webinars are member-only benefits while others are available free of charge to all stakeholders.
• Design Safety Toolkit A free web-based toolkit provided by ICPHSO in partnership with KID (Kids And Drugs) designed to help design safer consumer products before they enter the marketplace. Benefits both business and non-business professionals, not just product designers.
• Mentorship Program Program pairing experienced product safety industry professionals with selected mentees interested in pursuing or advancing a career in consumer product safety. Mentors and mentees connect during the Annual Meeting & Training Symposium through dedicated mentorship events.
• Scholarship Program Financial assistance program helping individuals who might not otherwise have resources to attend ICPHSO meetings, ensuring diverse stakeholder perspectives are represented in global product safety discussions. Includes David Schmeltzer Founder Scholarship Fund and Mentorship Scholarship Program.
• Career Center Online job posting and listing service connecting employers with product safety and health professionals. Members receive discounted job posting rates while job seekers may search and apply for positions at no cost.
• Individual Membership Annual individual non-voting memberships at multiple tiers: Business ($250/year), Sole Practitioner ($175/year), Non-Business/Government/Academia/Consumer ($125/year), and Non-Conference ($100/year). Benefits include ICPHSO credentials, members-only website access, e-news updates, discounted symposium registration, and preferred exhibit booth assignment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 800+ participants annually at the Annual Meeting and Training Symposium
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• European CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICPHSO holds its International Symposium every two years in Brussels, Belgium, in conjunction with the European Commission's International Product Safety Week (IPSW). The 2026 International Symposium (September 9-10, 2026) is held at the Charlemagne Building and is part of IPSW 2026 (September 7-10). This partnership provides a platform to reach many global regulators who don't generally attend the Annual Symposium.
• Catalan Consumer AgencymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost organization for the 2027 International Symposium (October 20-21, 2027) in Barcelona, Spain. The Catalan Consumer Agency (ieConsumo/Observatorio del Consumo SL) will provide venue and logistical support, with Josep Tous serving on the ICPHSO Board.
• Health CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth Canada co-hosts the North America Product Safety Training Workshop (June 21-23, 2027) in Ottawa, Canada. Patricia Pelletier, Director of the Risk Assessment Bureau of Health Canada's Consumer Product Safety Directorate, serves as an Ex-Officio Board Member of ICPHSO.
• AmazonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmazon collaborated with ICPHSO to develop the Mentorship Scholarship Program for students and professors at colleges and universities (including HBCUs). Amazon is a Diamond sponsor of the 2026 International Symposium. Ryan Radford, Public Policy Principal at Amazon, serves on the ICPHSO Board.
• GooglemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerDiamond sponsor of the 2026 International Symposium. John McNulty, Director of Product Safety and Compliance Engineering for Hardware at Google LLC, serves on the ICPHSO Board.
• TikTokmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerDiamond sponsor of the 2026 International Symposium, showcasing products, services, and innovations relevant to the product safety community.
• SedgwickmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerGold sponsor of the 2026 International Symposium. Chris Harvey, Senior Vice President at Sedgwick, serves as ICPHSO President (2026). Sedgwick also hosts webinars for ICPHSO.
• Cooley LLPmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver sponsor of the 2026 International Symposium. Rod Freeman, Partner and Global Head of Products Law at Cooley, serves as ICPHSO Treasurer.
• ASTM InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICPHSO collaborates with ASTM International on one-day meetings addressing specific product safety issues. Molly Lynyak, Director of Standards Development at ASTM International, serves as ICPHSO Vice President.
• Association Headquarters Inc.coreOthersICPHSO is professionally managed by Association Headquarters Inc., a charter accredited association management company. AH provides expertise in meeting planning, budgeting, membership services, and organizational operations.
• UL SolutionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporter sponsor of the 2026 International Symposium. Ibrahim Jilani, Global Director of Consumer & Information Technology at UL Solutions, serves on the ICPHSO Board.
• EurofinsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerExhibitor and Supporter sponsor of the 2026 International Symposium, providing testing and inspection services visibility.
• David Schmeltzer Founder Scholarship FundminorOthersNamed scholarship program memorializing David Schmeltzer's legacy as an ICPHSO founder and his 50+ years of leadership and service to the global product safety community.
• Host Companies (Home Depot, McDonald's, Best Buy, Toys R' Us, Amazon)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCorporate host partners provide venue and some logistical services for North America Training Workshops, helping defray costs and providing positive exposure as leaders in product safety. Hosts have included Amazon (Seattle), Home Depot (Atlanta), McDonald's (Chicago), Coca-Cola (Atlanta), Best Buy (Minneapolis), Toys R' Us (Wayne, NJ).
• European Commission - Student Mentorship ProgrammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint program with the European Commission's International Product Safety Week that pairs experienced product safety experts (mentors) with students (mentees) from the European Economic Area for networking and professional development during IPSW/ICPHSO conferences.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• European Consumer Organisation (BEUC): Brussels-based umbrella for European consumer advocacy organizations; serves a comparable consumer safety stakeholder role regionally and is geographically adjacent to ICPHSO's European Commission co-located International Symposium.
• International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC): Membership association for fire and emergency service leaders that also convenes regulators, industry, and training professionals in safety domains; a comparable nonprofit association model serving related but distinct stakeholders.

Broad incumbents

• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA): US nonprofit that develops safety codes and standards and convenes stakeholders through conferences, training, and certifications; structurally analogous nonprofit with similar member-and-conference economics in adjacent safety verticals.
• Consumer Technology Association: Larger trade association that includes product safety within a broader technology and consumer electronics remit; overlaps with ICPHSO members and is relevant to ICPHSO's expansion into hardware and connected device safety.
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO): Global standards body whose consumer product committees (e.g., ISO/TC 61 on plastics, ISO/PC 305 on product safety) overlap substantively with ICPHSO's educational scope and stakeholder base.
• American National Standards Institute (ANSI): Coordinates the US voluntary standards system and accredits organizations like ASTM and UL; a comparable neutral, member-funded convener in the standards and compliance ecosystem relevant to ICPHSO's regulator/industry audience.

Emerging players

• Consumer Reports: Independent product testing and consumer advocacy organization that participates in product safety discourse, engages regulators, and produces safety content; comparable in serving the consumer advocacy stakeholder segment of ICPHSO's community.

Direct peers

• National Safety Council: US-based nonprofit with a comparable mission of advancing safety through education, training, and convening, sharing the same nonprofit-membership, conference-driven, sponsor-supported operating model as ICPHSO.
• UL Solutions: Global testing, inspection, and certification company with a Supporter-level ICPHSO board presence; comparable in serving product safety stakeholders across regulators and manufacturers.
• ASTM International: A global standards development organization with deep overlap in consumer product safety standards; an existing ICPHSO co-programming partner (one-day safety meetings) with overlapping membership and regulatory engagement.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@icphso
• Xx.com/ICPHSO
• Facebookfacebook.com/ICPHSO
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/icphso

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization