What Participation Actually Looks Like — And What It Doesn’t

A major barrier to manufacturer involvement is intimidation. Many companies assume participation requires a compliance department, legal counsel, and unlimited time. That assumption keeps manufacturers silent—and silence creates vulnerability.

Participation can be practical and scalable.

Here are examples of what participation actually looks like:

• Joining an industry trade group or alliance to stay informed and contribute to standards

• Volunteering input on safety guidance that reflects real manufacturing conditions

• Supporting independent research that improves product understanding

• Participating in shared adverse event models so surveillance is consistent

• Contributing to collective lab testing initiatives where appropriate

• Engaging in regulatory roundtables to improve accuracy and feasibility

• Publishing public safety transparency statements that support trust without exposing proprietary formulas

Just as important: participation is not about surrendering control.

Participation does not mean:

• exposing proprietary formulas publicly

• accepting unrealistic standards without objection

• letting outside parties define your manufacturing practices

• turning small manufacturers into compliance casualties

Done correctly, participation is the opposite. It is a mechanism for protecting responsible manufacturers by ensuring oversight is realistic, science-based, and operationally achievable.

TIMA’s mission is to make participation achievable—especially for small and mid-sized companies—by providing frameworks, resources, and collective guidance that reduce the burden of navigating this environment alone.